This Time Won't You Save Me
by Wingheart99
Summary: Time can always be rewritten. Even the most complex timelocks can sometimes be eradicated by someone who wants to change history so desperately they would do anything to go back. When Simon travels back in time to save Alisha again he has no idea what consequences will surface when he changes a key piece of history.
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

"The Promise"

He pressed his lips against hers and found them cold to the touch. The terror in her face had long since gone but the images were still burned into his brain as if it were still playing out: the crying, him reassuring her it would be okay, and the blood-so much blood. It was the blood of the love of his life that had stained the ground around them. He had held her until the last drop of her life fluid had poured out of her veins.

"It'll be alright Simon." He pretended not to hear Kelly's distinct voice as he buried his face into his dead girlfriend. He could feel the tears before they came and he allowed them to flow out. "This is my fault," he muttered to the dead girl, "I should've taken you back to Vegas earlier like you wanted so we would be with Nathan and Marnie and you would be alright." "Simon you couldn't have known this would happen. It's not your fault," Curtis told him.

Simon shook his head. It was no use-no amount of crying would bring her back, but he knew he could; it was destiny. He laid her head down gently on the floor then stood up. Kelly, Curtis, and Rudy all stared at him worriedly but, besides himself, Kelly was the only one in tears. "They're trying to be brave for me," he thought.

When he got probation almost a year ago he would have never thought these people would be anymore than a nuisance in his life. He even thought he would make an enemy or two. It was because of the storm. If the storm had never have happen they wouldn't have been drawn together by the pact of secrecy they made with each other over their powers and even more so, in that time they had developed an odd sense of loyalty to each other. They stuck by each others sides through thick and thin. Simon could talk to them about anything; why not this? After all, if it hadn't been for them he and Alisha might never have happened.

"That guy in the mask," he said finally, "It was me." Curtis's jaw dropped, a gasp escaped from Kelly's lips as she took a step back. "It can't be," she said in disbelief, "Then how were you and him in the same place at once?" "It was my future self. This has all happened before. When he died I became him. He went back in time so I could fall in love with Alisha," Simon explained. Rudy snapped his finger and pointed at Simon, "Like an endless time loop?" Simon nodded, "I have to go back in time and save her." His eyes were directly on Kelly and she knew exactly what he wanted before the words formed on his lips. "I'm going to need some new powers," he told her. She nodded and walked off in the direction of the main entrance. Even though she was about 7 feet away Simon could still see another tear slide down her face through the window as she headed for Seth's office.

Simon turned his attentions back to Alisha. He picked her up from the floor and held her tightly against him. "Hey." Curtis came over to him. He looked down at Alisha then back up at him. As he did Simon caught a strange glint in his eye. Was he about to cry? "When you save her bring her back, yeah?" "I can't throw off the balance of time," Simon replied. Curtis breathed a sigh, "Could you- could you just break the loop?" he asked. "If I don't die she has to," Simon said desperately as he looked down at Alisha. She was cuddled into his chest as if she were just sleeping. "Look you're pretty smart. I know you can figure stuff like this out. Even if you do have to change something-try to break the loop?" the tone was so desperate it seemed to Simon that it couldn't belong to Curtis. Time is very fragile and the any slight alteration could have drastic consequences but this was for Alisha. "Fine," he said finally looking up at Curtis, "I'll try."

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><p><em><strong>A.N.- <strong>_**I know it isn't that good but I promise it'll get better.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1

"You're In My Veins"

A foggy dawn had settled in Wertham. Amongst the mist a vague outline of a man in a black suit could be seen leaping from a building. Fear gripped the masked man and his movement was frantic but he was not scared of falling and tumbling to the ground below, he did not fear for his life. In a distance another scream sounded, a girl. The man tried to choke out a name as he tried to reach the voice but somehow he had become mute. In a distance he could hear his voice, but saying words he wasn't trying to say.

_"I will never leave her."_ His voice echoed around him, bringing back the distant memory where it was from. He tried to call out to the screamer again but again couldn't find his voice inside him. Instead it ricocheted out of the sky, off the buildings, and down his spine; _"I'm gonna make a girl fall in love with me."_

He could feel the tears in his eyes but decided to press on to find her and save her. He couldn't see very far ahead of him but he could make out the outline of a building. As his voice continued to bear down on him as a taunt from the Gods, he ran and leaped for the figure. _"It's going to be alright. I should know; I'm from the future."_ As he prepared to land he knew something was wrong. The building he had seen, it was no longer there. Where he had aimed to land was now an empty space to the ground far below. As he plummeted back to Earth, his voice ringing in his ears and this time more agonizing hers included, he knew he had failed and would never see her again.

_"Am I gonna die? I'm not going to let that happen."_

"Alisha!" I bolted upright to find myself in the darkness of my flat, alone. A layer of sweat had formed on my skin in my sleep, dampening my sheets. I struggled to catch my breath. This was becoming the routine since I had come back. My nights were haunted by nightmares and sometimes I would hear Alisha's voice as if she were somewhere in the flat. Of course she wasn't. She had community service, she was-is dating Curtis, she wasn't exactly cruel but wasn't friendly to me-well my past self. I sighed after running through the facts. I comforted myself by knowing it'll all be over soon. It all has to happen like it happened before.

_"My name is Simon Bellamy. Two weeks ago I traveled back in time to save the girl I love. Since then I have become my future self. Under the identity of 'the guy in the mask' I have pinpointed every major event in my life and my mates at this point in time. Now comes the biggest challenge. I have to defy everything I know about time travel and let myself be seen. I have to make Alisha fall in love with me again."_

Alisha Bailey quickly dumped her things back into her purse. She was late for community service. Just as she finished her phone began to vibrate. "Hello," she said as she answered it. "Lisha just got the word there's to be a major party at a club on the estate tonight," Sheryl informed her, "You in?"

Since she and Curtis had gotten together she had promised him she would chill a bit on the partying. She had told him it wasn't like she was going to shag every guy that winked at her like she used to, but he said that wasn't why. She didn't believe him.

Although she wanted to, she really wanted to; she decided it was a bad idea. Especially with their community service ending in a month; she didn't want to risk getting on Curtis's bad side now. "Sorry Sher, I can't," Alisha said. She could hear Sheryl scoff in annoyance, "What's going on with you. We never go out together anymore and we barely talk. Does this have to do with these new _mates_ you have?" Alisha rolled her eyes at the emphasis Sheryl had put on the word 'mates'. Yes she wasn't exactly close to them but she didn't like the thought of someone talking shit about them. "Sheryl I need to go," Alisha mumbled, biting back what she really wanted to say. "Lisha why are you acting like this?" Sheryl shouted. "Bye Sheryl," she said. As she ended the call she swore she heard the word "Slag" exit Sheryl's mouth.

The brisk breeze of the cloudy afternoon lapped at the water of the lake. A few birds that had settled down on the water drew their winds and took flight against the wind. They quickly grew smaller until they disappeared into the clouds.

I stood on the ledge of the roof. I could see below but no one could see me if they happened to look up-if she happened to look up. I had come every day to stand above her apartment just to get a glimpse of her to reassure myself she was alive and safe. She had spotted me a few days before and I had got her off my trail by leading her to Nikki's flat. "She knows that I'm following her now. It must be time for us to meet," I thought. I couldn't help but note the longing in the thought. It seemed so long since we've been together and now the time had come again. "I have to make her fall in love with me."

As my words were carried away by another wind a figure appeared below. I squinted my eyes against the wind to get a good look at the person. I could feel the disappointment rise in me when I saw it was a guy wearing a red and black jacket. He was walking swiftly toward Alisha's apartment complex that was a short distance from the building I was standing on. I shook my head at him and turned. "Everyone is always in such a hurry they let precious time get away."

I jumped from my post on the ledge onto the roof of the building. "She must have left early," I guessed. It was well past the time Alisha normally left and she was rarely late to community service. According to her, it was the one thing she was always prompt for because she really couldn't afford anymore trouble right now. I didn't want to leave but I knew I had so many things to do. When I wasn't fixing up the flat I was almost always training now. Endless hours building my strength, body, and mind to prevent what seemed to be the inevitable from happening, Alisha's death.

I was almost to the building's fire exit door when I heard it. The scream was distinctly familiar after hearing it night-after-night. The sound brought terror into my veins that I had last truly felt the day she died. I sprinted across the roof, jumped the ledge, and leaped across to the next building I hit my target dead-on. I forced the guy in the red and black jacket, my new enemy and maybe soon-to-be victim of murder, against the wall then threw him to the floor. The guy only glanced at me as he scrambled to his feet and ran off as fast as he could.

I looked behind me and saw her. She sat in a quivering heap on the ground as beautiful as the very first time I saw her. I walked over to her, took her hand, and slowly raised her to her feet. I smiled at her stunned face but it was hidden by my masked one. "You-You're touching me. Who are you?" she stuttered out in shock.

As much as I didn't want to I let go of her hand, leapt on to the railing of the corridor and dropped to the ground below. "She can't know who I am yet," I thought, "It all has to happen exactly like she said it had."

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><p><em><strong>A.N-<strong>_** All forms of criticism and any suggestions are welcome. :) **


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2

"The Guy in the Mask"

Curtis skimmed through the messages on his phone for a forth time. No new messages had come up since the last time he checked, 5 minutes before. "What's got your knickers all tied in a bunch?" Nathan asked as he shut his locker. Curtis put his phone back in his pocket and shut his own locker. "I'm waiting for Alisha to text me back," he said to Nathan as Simon, Kelly, and Alisha walked in. Nathan looked over at the three with a smirk, "Hey Princess, Romeo over here's about to cry his eyes out. Why don't you take out your phone and text him to make him feel better?" Letting Nathan get the better of him, Curtis shoved him backward into his locker. "Prick." "What'd I say?" Nathan shouted after Curtis as he walked past him.

"Can we talk?" Curtis muttered into Alisha's ear, careful to not let Nathan hear. She nodded, but he noted there seemed something off about her, as if she were upset. They walked together into the hallway. "Are you alright?" Curtis asked her. "Yeah I'm fine," she replied, but didn't meet his gaze. He looked her over, "Has something happened?" Suddenly Nathan burst from the locker room door. "Hey Barry did you see your documentary on the History Channel last night?" he yelled through the open door. A second later Simon appeared. "What documentary?" he asked, disregarding the fact Nathan had still not learned his name. "Oh you know the one on pedophiles. I didn't catch but five minutes of it but I expect your pretty face was the spot light of the show," Nathan smirked. Simon furrowed his brow. "I'm not a pedophile," he said then pushed past Nathan. Curtis was kind of surprised by Simon's reaction. He looked hurt by Nathan's words. After being in community service with him for the past few weeks Simon should know by now that Nathan was big on being a right ass to people sometimes. "Prick," Curtis voiced to him. Nathan shrugged, "Not my fault media knows what he is now." Curtis only grunted in response as Nathan walked off toward the vending machines.

"I have to go," Alisha said as Curtis turned back to her. "Is something wrong?" Curtis asked anxiously. Alisha let out an exasperated sigh, "No there's not, and we're going to be late if you don't quit trying to act like Dr. Phil."

I unzipped my duffel bag and began to pick through my things until I found what I was looking for. I picked up the video camera and hit the record button. I turned it towards my face."When I saw our flat for the first time it was like a disaster zone. Garbage and junk littered the floor, most of the lights were broken and none of them worked, and the plumbing was a mess." I flipped on the lights and turned the camera away from my face to view the construction zone. The bare light bulbs flickered on revealing a less than moderate version of the shambled place I had described. I had trashed all the unusable stuff and swept the floor. The floor still needed a thorough mopping job but I figured that should be the finishing touch.

I filmed the bathroom to show the pipes and such I'd replaced and the glossy white tiles that had already been there but I had found something to make them look like new. The kitchen and bedroom were relatively the same so I only filmed glimpses of it. The one thing I knew I had to film was the closet. Personally, I found it a major accomplishment in my craftsmanship. I pushed a button on the wall and a panel opened revealing a room inside. It was much bigger than the previous closet Alisha and I had had. I hoped she would be pleased.

As the group hopped off the bus the irritation within everyone, even Simon, was prevalent to Kelly. Everyone on the bus had been staring at them, even the driver on occasion. She didn't see why the city would allow a bunch of 20-year-olds ride the city bus wearing Community Payback jumpsuits. It seemed more logical they would've supplied a bus for them, but they hadn't and as the bus slid away she could still feel eyes on her.

From where the bus dropped them off they had to walk a short distance to a fly-over. Their probation worker was waiting for them in his car when they got there. He got out of the car and walked over to them. "Alright see all that junk over there?" he asked, nodding towards the biggest pile of junk she had ever seen. "Put all that shit in that skit," he said. "Would it kill you to dress it up a bit?" Curtis asked. "Alright put all that shit in that skit, _please_," he said mockingly. He then began to walk back to his car. "Where are you going?" Alisha called over to him. "For a coffee and Danish," he answered before getting into his car and starting it. "Wanker!" Kelly yelled after him as she flipped him off. "Smug bastard," Nathan chimed in. Lucky for the both of them the probation worker didn't hear as he drove off.

Alisha was never the one to take anything seriously prior to her relationship with Curtis. Then again, before she got her power she never felt vulnerable. Even when she was in Sixth Form the thought of her caring about how others felt or what they thought of her was a big laugh to her. But now, she did feel smaller than usual and a bit frightened on top of that; someone is stalking her and she wanted to know why.

She walked over to Simon, who was picking up the discarded lower end of a mannequin, and tapped his shoulder. He turned around and looked at her in the eye then down at the mannequin nervously. She tried not to smile at the fact of where Simon had unknowingly placed his hands on the mannequin. "Have you seen anymore of that guy in the mask?" she asked. "Not since last week," he answered. He swallowed and glanced over at Nathan and Curtis. Nathan had found the middle part of the mannequin and was trying to gross Curtis out with it. Curtis snapped at him but Simon and Alisha were out of ear-shot.

"Why do you think he led us to that girl's flat?" Alisha asked focusing back on Simon. "He's acting like I'm about to kill him or something," she thought when Simon didn't meet her gaze. "I-I don't know," he said and cleared his throat. She rolled her eyes, "You're supposed to know about this stuff," she said, her irritation obvious in her voice. Then as if his shyness had been wiped from his body for the first time ever Simon met her gaze, regarding her curiously, "Why are you so interested?" he asked. "Because I just am alright?" she spat out so loudly it made him jump. He stared at her, confusion in his eyes. Alisha rolled her eyes again, "What?" Simon backed away from her warily and walked off. Surprisingly she felt a pang of guilt for scaring him off like that but not enough to go apologize. "If I want to figure out who this is," she thought, "I'll have to do it myself."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3

"_I Just Want You to Know Who I Am"_

Alisha rolled her eyes as she watched Nathan shake the vending machine furiously. "Come on baby, come on," he was saying. Alisha turned away as she heard a can of soda fall out of the machine. Curtis walked out of the locker room accompanied by Simon. "Can't you just pay the 63 pence like a normal person?" Curtis asked Nathan. "I haven't paid this machine since we've been here. This machine expects it from me, it's like second nature. It'd be a crime to pay anything now," Nathan replied smugly. He took his drink out of the machine and strolled off in the direction of his loft.

"Do you want to come over to mine tonight?" Curtis asked Alisha. She thought for a moment then shook her head, "There's something I have to do tonight maybe tomorrow, yeah?" He looked a bit disappointed but nodded, "Alright." "Don't you still live with your parents?" Simon asked. The sound of his simple question startled Alisha; she had forgotten he was there. Curtis grunted as if he were annoyed by Simon's simple question, "Mine are on holiday and hers don't care," he answered irritably. "Oh," Simon answered then sensing his presence was unwanted walked away in the direction of the exit. "Why did you say that?" Alisha mumbled once Simon was gone. "Say what? That your parents don't care, it's true isn't it?" Curtis asked. "You haven't even met my parents how would you know?" she pointed out. "Well I think we should be going out a bit longer before we meet each other's folks." She scoffed; she had had enough of this. She hated it when Curtis put his foot in his mouth and didn't want to see the conversation go on any longer. "I'll talk to you tomorrow, yeah?" she said. She took her hand bag and even though she heard Curtis protest she didn't look back.

On the way home she contemplated Curtis's words. Did her parents not care about her? When she had been arrested for drink driving she had gotten a lecture from her father on safety but her mother said nothing and the incident was soon forgotten. Every morning when she leaves for community service both of them had already left for work but she was sure neither had a job that started that early. Maybe her parents did care about her but they were too disappointed in her to show it.

Grief crept into her with realization. It was her fault her parents no longer loved nor cared about her. Maybe that's why she rarely saw them anymore.

**~Misfits~**

I mopped up the grime and dirt from the floor using a cheap mop and bucket I had purchased from the store. I had spent the entire day installing the remainder of the light panels, sweeping, and was now on my final assignment. I put the mop back in the bucket and straitened up to have a look at my handiwork. The floor didn't look as bad as it did when I saw it for the first time but it could do for a polishing-which it might not get.

As I put away the cleaning supplies I looked over at the wall where I had not too long ago installed several clocks. Pictures of my past self along with Alisha, Curtis, Nathan, and Kelly were all over the wall under the clocks that the picture corresponded to. I walked over to the first clock that was still counting down. Under it was a picture of Alisha and Curtis smiling at each other, Kelly getting her tattoo touched up, and Nathan staring lovingly at me. The tattoo the tattoo artist had put on Nathan to make him fall in love with me was visible in the picture.

I walked a little further down to the second to last clock and searched the pictures until I found the one Alisha and I took in Las Vegas.

**~Misfits~**

Curtis dialed Alisha's number again. He paused as the phone rang then slammed the phone shut as it went to voicemail. He had really done it this time. Usually she would have rang him by now and they would have talked about what happened and try to work it out. He hadn't heard from Alisha since their argument in the community centre. Curtis cursed himself. He really should think before he speaks.

**~Misfits~**

Alisha walked into her parents' flat to find silence. "Mum?" she called out but got no answer. "They should be home by now," she thought. She ran to the kitchen. Usually she would find it warm from her mother cooking dinner and her father would be at the table reading the newspaper or doing something for his job. Now the room was cold and dark. She looked over at the fridge and saw a piece of paper pinned on the door under three magnets. She grabbed it off the door and read through it quickly, _"Dear Alisha, Your mum and I have gone away on a business trip. There's money for you in the envelope on the table- Mum and Dad."_

"He didn't even write _'love mum and dad'_," she thought. She stared down at the cold words angrily. As the tears began to burn her eyes she ripped up the paper. She didn't care that they were disappointed in her, but they could've at least said goodbye to her this morning. She stormed up to her room and slammed the door on her absent authority.

She slumped down on her bed and took out her phone. She had 3 new messages from Curtis. She left them unopened and went to the videos she had filmed and clicked on the one she had recorded a few days before. As she watched the guy in the mask jumping off the buildings near her apartment complex she silently promised to herself, "I'm going to find out who you are."

**~Misfits~**

Simon stared at the picture on the wall as dumbfounded as Nathan was. Nathan turned away from the gruesome sight to Kelly and the tattoo artist who was touching up her butterfly tattoo on her lower back. "Hey man, whose cock is that?" he asked. The tattoo artist smirked, "It's mine," he said, clearly humored by Simon and Nathan's reactions. "Why would you do that to yourself?" Nathan asked in disgust. "My girlfriend left me," the artist answered. "So you tattooed your cock?" Nathan exclaimed. Kelly, who had her head resting on top of her folded arms, smiled and glanced back at the tattoo artist. He stopped working and looked at Nathan, a proud look on his face, and said, "The ink-it's how I take away the pain." Nathan raised his eyebrows and turned away. "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard," he thought.

He looked at the picture of a rose on someone's neck and turned back to Kelly. "Do you think I should get me one of those," he pointed at the picture, "Or do you reckon it's a bit gay?" The tattoo artist glared at him and scratched his neck, revealing that was his tattoo. Nathan gulped. "No I meant on me," he stuttered, "You know because I have a pretty face and all." The tattoo artist continued to glare at him, "right," he said. He glanced over at Simon then back at Nathan. Nathan nodded and turned back to the pictures on the wall. Suddenly he felt a pain in his shoulder as if someone had pinched him. He rubbed it away and looked over his shoulder at Kelly and the tattoo artist-who had turned away.

**~Misfits~**

She knew he was watching her, but she had to lure him to her. She faced her apartment's door so he wouldn't run-well jump off. The guy from the apartment two doors down trudge past her, hands deep in his hoodie's pockets against the wind. "Here's your chance," said the voice inside her head. "Wanker," she said without looking at him. He turned around and took out a single ear bud that she hadn't seen before. "Are your talking to me?" he asked in disbelief. "Yeah I'm talking to you, you slimy, rat-faced, fuck," she spat.

She immediately bit her lip when she realized how big he was compared to her. "You're going to get a slap," he said edging towards her. "What have I done?" she thought. She began to back away slowly, uncertain if he was sincere. She could feel her body begin to shake uncontrollably when he continued to walk towards her. She did the only thing she knew she could do-she ran. "Hey, come here!" she heard behind her as she ran as fast as she could down the corridor. She could hear feet pounding after her but didn't dare turn around. She gasped when she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around. She immediately wished she hadn't when she began to tumble down a flight of stairs then total darkness.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4

"_Ar Dân"_

**~Simon~**

"I thought you said we were going to a bar to watch wrestling?" Simon asked Nathan. "Who needs a bar when we have everything we need right here," Nathan answered and dropped onto his mattress. Since they had left the tattoo parlor with Kelly, Nathan had been acting a bit strange. He had told Kelly plain-out that she couldn't come with them when normally Nathan would beg for Kelly to go. He still fancied her and even though she seemed to know she never mentioned it.

"Well don't just stand there come have a seat," Nathan said as he patted the spot next to him. Now a little uncomfortable, Nathan never let him sit on his bed; Simon took off his jacket, folded it, and sat down next to Nathan. Nathan reached over to a mini fridge and pulled out two sodas. "Here," he said, handing one to Simon. Simon took the drink but didn't open it. Nathan got up and walked over to a stereo. "Let's put on a bit of music to set the mood," he said. Simon tapped his fingers rhythmically against the top of the can. Suddenly the sound of a slow love song filled the air. Simon turned quickly to see why Nathan hadn't changed the song. His blue eyes stretched wide when he saw the unbelievable sight behind him. Nathan was swaying slowly to the music, eyes closed, and head raised to ceiling. "What the fuck is he doing?" Simon thought.

He must have felt Simon staring at him because his eyes suddenly opened and the swaying stopped. His cheeks turned a light shade of red. "Sorry I love this song," Nathan told him. Simon didn't respond as Nathan sat down next to him, the romantic music still blaring. This made Simon feel even more awkward. He wanted to leave but he didn't want to seem rude. "So," Nathan got very close-too close, to Simon's face and stared into his eyes, "anything new in you life recently?" Simon turned away but that only made Nathan get closer. "I just bought the new Battle Star Gallatica DVD set," Simon answered. He tried desperately not to meet Nathan's gaze. Nathan was staring at him like he did Kelly sometimes-why was he staring at him like that? "Tell me about your first sexual experience," Nathan demanded in a seductive tone. Simon furrowed his brow and pinned his lips together. In thought the question rang in his ears, "Is he taking a piss?"

**~Superhoodie~**

I carried her into our flat slowly. She was unconscious and had been that way since she had fallen down the stairwell. I had tried to stop her-to calm her down, but only seemed to make things worse. When I touched her she had turned and couldn't see the stairs until it was too late. She's probably going to have a right fit about that when she wakes up. I placed her on our bed and pushed back her frizzy hair. I wanted to lie down next to her but I was too afraid she might wake up and how weird would that be? The only Simon she knew was present Simon and why would she be in his bed?

I took off my mask revealing the adoring look it was concealing. Even with nightmares and delusions about her I didn't know how much I missed her until now. I stared at her and was only broken from my trance by the sound of a phone vibrating. It certainly wasn't mine-I had left it in the future. I picked through Alisha's pockets and found the phone at the bottom of one of her pants pockets. I flipped the phone open to see who was calling- Curtis.

**~Curtis~**

Curtis dialed Alisha's number again, for literally the seventh time. He had to apologize to her. He didn't know that she would get that upset about it. If he had he wouldn't have been dumb enough to say it. "Come on Alisha pick up," he mutters as he listened to the phone ring. Suddenly the ringing was cut short by Alisha's voicemail. He shut his phone and threw it across the room. "Damn it!"

**~Alisha~**

Alisha let out a small moan and opened her eyes. She rubbed the bleariness in her vision away and slowly sat up. Her head hurt. She raised her hand and traced her finger over a small cut. She looked at the finger, expecting it to be red with blood, but didn't find a trace of scarlet on it. Someone must have cleaned it up, she decided. She looked around her and found she was in someone's flat, but it wasn't any flat she'd ever seen before. It was nearly bare and pretty much one-roomed. The only indication that she had that someone lived there was the bed, a stack of books, a laptop, exercise equipment, various pieces of furniture, and an orange jacket on the back of a chair at a desk.

The last thing she remembered was running away from the guy she'd called a 'slimy rat-faced fuck' to get the guy in the mask to- the guy in the mask! What if this is his flat? Unable to control her excitement of being the first to reveal his identity she slid off the bed to go investigate.

She could hear water going in a distance- a sink, no more like a shower. She began to walk in that direction. As she did she noticed a wall of clocks surrounded by pictures. Several of the clocks were counting down while a couple had already struck zero. She wondered what happened when the last struck zero.

There were pictures surrounding the clocks- pictures of her and the others. She could remember the moments documented but was sure no one at that moment had a camera- not even Simon and he was always filming. Was the guy in the mask stalking them? What did he want for them?

She looked over her shoulder- the suit! She nearly ran over to where the suit that the guy in the mask wears was hanging up on a clothes rack. She extended her hand to touch the mysterious clothing then drew it back quickly. It wasn't at all like she thought she'd seen it. It was a zip-up black jacket and leather pants. The only alteration was extra padding that had been added to them. The mask was not there. She bit her lip when she realized the source of the sound was only a few steps away. Steadying herself, she slowly took those steps.

A man stood in a shower scrubbing his hair. Suddenly he turned around and saw her. She took a step away and gasped as the familiar blue eyes stared back at her.

**~Kelly~**

It was always dangerous for a girl to go out after dark in Wertham, especially alone, but this didn't bother Kelly. She knew if any mugger saw her he'd know to stick clear. Kelly smiled to herself remembering the day she had taken a mugger. Word must have got out about it somehow and now no one approaches her for a scuffle.

She opened the door to the tattoo parlor and stepped inside. She thought Nathan had been acting like more of a dick than usual but Simon had convinced her that Nathan's new found 'love' for him had been provoked by a tattoo that Vince gave him.

"Vince!" she called out. Her voice echoed in the dim room. "Hello Kelly." She jumped and spun around at the sound of Vince's voice. He grinned at her. She gave him a soft smile. "Any problems with the touch up?" Vince asked. She shook her head, "You know those two guys that came with me? Did you tattoo one of them?" "The awkward boy and the little wanker? No I haven't," he answered, but Kelly could hear the words, "She knows," inside his head. "Have you done something to him?" she asked him. "You don't need him," Vince said, raising his needle tool at her, "I am going to make you so happy."

**~Alisha~**

Simon walked up to her slowly, his face unreadable. To her, it looked as if he had changed drastically over night. He looked her directly in the eye, he was shirtless when usually he was afraid to show no more than his hands, and he was fitter than she expected-really fit. "What the fuck is going on? Since when did you run around jumping off buildings?" she asked. His blue eyes shut then opened again. For a moment she was sure she saw a mixture of humor and grief glint out of them. "Since I traveled back from the future," he answered. She chuckled then remembering all the weird shit that had happened in her life recently. She looked into his eyes for any trace of sarcasm. There was none. "Seriously?" He nodded. "So how does this work-there's two of you," she pointed out. "How could he turn back time?" she thought, "That's Curtis's power….but when Curtis uses his power there's still only one of him."

As if reading her thoughts Simon gave her a half smile, foreign to the few she had always seen on present Simon, and said, "There's a Simon you know and a future Simon-me." She stared at him, trying to take it all in. He began to walk toward her, "A lot happens between now and then," he started.

**~Superhoodie~**

I took out my camera and hit the record button as the sound of the lift ascending became faint then disappeared. I turned the camera to face me. "She's gone," I said, "But she'll be back. She always comes back."

* * *

><p><em><strong>A.N.- <strong>_**This song is "Ar Dân" after Iwan Rheon's (Simon) song. :) **


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5

"_Crash and Burn"_

**~Alisha~**

Alisha walked swiftly back to her parents' flat. She huddled into her jacket trying to keep out the odd chill she felt around her. Her mind was racing. There were two Simons? Awkward, shy, a bit weird Simon had come back from the future and he was destined to look like that? Why had he come back? And why could he touch her-present Simon couldn't. Why was he following her? Her head hurt from all the questions and so little answers. As she reached her parents' flat she decided she would go back tomorrow to figure out exactly what the hell was going on.

**~Simon~**

Simon got home just as the sun was beginning to set. His parents had gone out to dinner and his sister had gone to sleepover at a friend's. He went up to his room and shut the door behind him. His phone began to go off as he put his things on his desk. He took it out, hoping it was from Kelly. Maybe he had been right and the tattoo artist had done something to Nathan. He sighed when he saw it was a text from Nathan. _"Want to go for a drink?"_ Normally Simon would've been much obliged to, but after the whole 'incident' with Nathan putting his tongue in his mouth and proclaiming his love for him, Simon didn't want to be alone with him right now. He shut his phone and put it back in his pocket. He took off his jean jacket and placed it in his closet on a hanger. He decided to get out his laptop although he didn't have anyone to chat with anymore. After he had discovered the identity of Shygirl18, Simon had decided to stop talking to strangers over the internet.

So instead Simon decided to edit a video he had filmed of himself the previous Saturday. His parents and sister were out that day so they didn't suspect a thing. He had been practicing parkor. After seeing the guy in the mask do it he had decided to Google it and found it was the awesomest thing he'd ever seen. Of course with awesome takes practice. He had almost gotten himself killed five times in one day. He presumed that could be a new record, for him at least. However the only injures he had come out with were a scraped knee and arm. The bandages were easily hidden by his clothing so he hadn't had to deal with any sort of questioning. He opened his editing program and got to work.

**~Alisha~**

Alisha didn't bother yelling to anyone as she entered her parents' flat. The hallway and kitchen were both dark just the way she had left them. She switched on the light as she entered the kitchen. The envelope full of money her parents had left her was still on the table. She had contemplated on opening it to figure out how long they'd be gone by how much they left her, but after her anger over the letter her dad had left she hadn't had the heart yet.

She stared at the envelope thinking it through. Did she really want to know how long they'd be gone this time? Last time it had been a month and they only came home because the police department had contacted them and told them of her drink driving charges. Her dad had come home to see if she was alright. Her mum did to, but to Alisha she seemed reluctant, like she would rather be somewhere else. She shook the memory away, telling herself she was only being paranoid. She picked up the bulging orange envelope and opened it. There were several stacks of bills inside, a lot more than they had left her previously. She picked up 1 of the stacks and examined it. It held possibly 1, maybe 200 pounds. She put it back in the envelope, broken-hearted knowing what this meant: her parents weren't coming back this time.

(Insert scene Future Simon gives Alisha her necklace back & [vaguely] explains everything)

Alisha had tossed and turned all night coming to reason with the sudden realization of everything. She now walked into the community center barely able to keep her eyes open. To top it off, Curtis stood in the hallway waiting for her. "Hi," he said to her. She put on a soft smile and said "hi" back. "I tried calling you last night to apologize. Are you alright?" "Well besides discovering my parents have abandoned me and that there are two Simons I'm dandy. How about you?" Was what she felt like saying but just nodded. "Don't worry, I forgive you," she said. A grin spread across his face.

Curtis took her shoulder and gently pulled her to the wall behind him. "So…," he started, "So you wanna, you know?" He pointed towards the cupboard not far from them. "No I don't feel like it," she admitted. Curtis pulled away, a mixture of astonishment in his eyes. "What's going on with you?" he asked, "You've stopped answering my calls and now you don't even want to have sex?" Alisha rolled her eyes. The only thing Curtis ever thought about was himself. He would always ask her if she was okay but that was only because he wanted to be sure he wasn't in trouble with her. Honestly, although he had said it a couple of times, Alisha didn't think he really loved her.

"Is this the best I get?" she asked him, "Wanking myself off in a cupboard?" "You didn't have any problems with it before," he pointed out. Alisha narrowed her eyes at him. He was right, but she hated that he said it. Maybe the reason why her parents left her is because of things like this. Alisha pushed him away and began to walk in the direction of the locker room. As she left she turned and yelled, "And don't even think about using your power to fix this. I want to see how big of a prick you can be!"

Alisha couldn't take all this suspense anymore. She had thought that in some weird way he was lying to her. She didn't think she could love Simon. Weird, scared-of-everything Simon? She was destined to spend her life with him, but why is Future Simon so different? He's more confident than Present Simon. What happens with him between now and then?

She pulled open the rusty door of the lift, stepped inside, and closed the door behind her. The pending fear that he wouldn't be there clung to her, making her knees shutter. She couldn't take another day with all this mysterious shit anymore.

The lift let out a groan then stopped. She pulled open the door and immediately saw him. He had on his suit with the mask in hand. His face was emotionless again but his ice blue eyes were dulled with mixed emotion she couldn't read. "Why is he looking at me like that?" she thought, "He basically said that he loved me-he came back for me. Why would he come back for me if he didn't love me?" She could feel her cheeks begin to turn red as her embarrassment rose. Why had she come? Had she been wanting too much? Had the thought that someone might actually love her blocked out reality in her mind?

"Hi," Simon said, still staring at her, but now hopelessness in his eyes, "Are you coming in?" She could feel the tears begin to brim her eyes as she stepped forward into the flat. "I don't even know if what you're telling me is true. You say all these things-you tell me I'll fall in love with you. How do I know it happens?" her quivering voice finally broke into a sob, "You can't do this to me" "How could I have thought he loves me," she thought, "No one ever will."

**~Superhoodie~**

My brows rose. Alisha never cried-at least not in front of anyone. Yet here she was pouring her eyes out and I made it happen. I put my arms around her and pulled her closer. She sobbed into my shoulder. Although she was upset I could feel the hesitation in her being so close to me. I pulled back a little thinking that was too much too soon. I still held her as her green eyes stared into mine. She had stopped crying, but a stray tear still slid down her face. I was only pulled out of her gaze by the rise of a beeping sound. I turned my head and saw it was one of my clocks. It was 10 minutes away from zero. I sighed and turned back to her. "I have to go," I said softly. "You touch me like that and tell me you have to go?" she asked in half disbelief. "I'll be back," I promised, "Wait here." I let go of her and walked into the lift. The words "What am I doing" came from the girl behind me. She turned to watch me leave. "It's going to be alright," I said, "I should know-I'm from the future." I pulled the lift door shut on her enchanting green eyes. What is she doing? More like, what am I doing? Am I making Alisha fall in love with me or contributing to the loop?

**~Alisha~**

After being left alone in the flat Alisha felt it was time to explore, but there really wasn't anything to explore-you could see pretty much every room of the flat. So she decided to examine the pictures around the clocks. She found the set around the first clock were of events that occurred in the two weeks before. They featured the virtue group; her, Curtis, and Kelly being captured; Lucy; and the party that night their powers had whacked out. She looked at the clocks that were still going-could she look at those pictures yet? She decided against it. She didn't know much about time travel but she knew if she looked she might accidentally change the future.

Simon had left his laptop on his desk. She knew Present Simon liked to document things and according to the wall of pictures so did Future Simon. She crossed the room, turned on the computer, and began looking through the video files.

**~Superhoodie~**

"We were all freaking out then suddenly Curtis touched me and was…." The familiar words of the television interview of Alisha hit my ears as I exited the lift. She turned to me as I took off my mask. "You shouldn't be watching that," I said. I glanced at the clip. It was from the version of history where we became famous. "Do we become famous?" she asked. I walked over to her, "Do you want to be famous?" She shrugged and smiled clearly embarrassed, "It's got to be better than picking up litter." I placed my mask on the desk and shut my laptop. "Sometimes I think that was the best time of my life," I admitted. A look of worry matched the one my eyes must be portraying. "Does something bad happen to us?" she asked. I forced images in my mind away. "I'm not going to let it end like that-not again," I silently promised. I looked away from her, knowing the fear on my face was frightening her. "Am I gonna die?" she asked. I flinched, hearing the words that had haunted me in dreams exit her mouth. I sighed and looked at her, "I'm not going to let that happen."

I have to do something. Something I haven't done before-something that could change history. I wrote Alisha a note saying I'd be back soon and put it on my desk where she could see it. I walked over to the bed where she was sleeping and kissed her forehead.

The constant ticking of the remaining clocks was the only sound in the room as I covered my suit with my orange jacket. 36:18:07, 36:18:06, 36:18:05. I shut the lift door. I hope this works.

**~Seth~**

Seth McNulty smirked at the nervous looking gentleman who walked into his office. He was wearing overalls and a red cap with the England Rampant Lion crest on it. "What can I do for you?" Seth asked. The man sat down in front of his desk. "You see I have this power and I was-I was wondering if you could take it out of me." The man seemed on edge and there was a tinge of fear in his tone. This didn't bother Seth. He had seen his kind before: the type that thinks their new inhuman quality made them a total badass but eventually it backfires on them and they want to get rid of it as soon as possible. "What can you do?" Just as the man opened his mouth a hard knock on the door interrupted the conversation.

Seth rolled his eyes. Since that sign had been put up he'd gotten loads more customers. Although he loved the money they were cutting into his personal time. He got up from his desk, crossed the room, and opened the door. He expected it to be Adam, his assistant, announcing the arrival of another customer but when he opened the door he was surprised to see the familiar man in the orange jacket.

* * *

><p><em><strong>A.N- <strong>_**This chapter is titled 'Crash & Burn' after the song by Savage Garden. Seth was never given a last name on the show. He is played by the actor Matthew McNulty.**

**I just read that Lauren Socha (Kelly) won't be returning for series 4. This means Seth probably won't come back either. Next series won't be the same without her accent. :'(**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 6

_"All That I'm Asking For"_

**~Alisha~**

Alisha woke up to find herself alone, as usual. What was out of the ordinary is where she was alone. She was in Simon's flat, but there was no Simon next to her. She sat up. She could see the clothes rack from where she was laying-the suit was gone. A wave of fear overcame her and threatened to suffocate her. What if he got hurt? What if he left her there and never came back? Tears burned her eyes as they threatened to pour down her face. She kicked off the bed sheets. She wanted to go look for him but didn't know where to start.

**~Superhoodie~**

I held Seth's gaze firmly. "I take it that your plan didn't work out?" he asked. "It is but that takes time," I replied. "Then why are you here? Do you need another power?" I didn't know exactly why I was there. Seth and I never get a chance to become close so why should I ask for anything from him? I shrugged and shook my head. "I need your help," I admitted. I shifted uncomfortably, forcing away the scared boy that was still buried inside me somewhere as he raised an eyebrow at me. "Why should I help you?" Seth asked. There was suspicion in his voice so I knew if I broke down and told my story he wouldn't believe me. When he saw I had no excuse for my outlandish request he sighed. "Right," he said, "When you have money and need a power come back. That's what I'm here for." Without a further word he shut the door in my face. I felt like kicking the door down. 35:43:29, 35:43:28, 35:43:27-I'm running out of time.

**~Alisha~**

Alisha's eyes fluttered open at the sound of the lift descending. "He's back!" she thought as she bolted upright. The bed sheets were still tossed on the floor as Simon opened the lift door. She had never been so happy to see anyone in her entire life. He smirked at her expression-whatever that might be. "Are you alright?" he asked. He walked over to the bed and sat next to her. She nodded but she could see in his eyes that he didn't believe her. She honestly had almost forgotten what 'alright' felt like.

She expected the usual look-over and Simon to ask if she was alright again like Curtis would. She was totally unprepared when he pulled her into a hug. His warm body pressed against hers. Her instincts told her to recoil so her power wouldn't take advantage of them both, but when she pulled her head back so she could see his face. She didn't see Curtis's dark eyes staring hungrily at her, neck veins extended, ready to pounce on her. It was Simon, the loving baby-blue eyes of Simon.

...

Alisha stared distastefully at the new boy in front of them. He wore the same orange community payback jumpsuit they did but other than that he looked at if he had been dropped off from another planet. His hair looked normal-ish in the front but held a long braid in the back, he kept giving all of them this odd big toothy grin, and the only thing he wanted to talk about was animal rights and environmental stuff. "So are you saying he's like a new member of the gang?" Nathan asked. The probation worker shrugged,  
>"Whatever. Look now, piss off and pick up some litter," he said and shouldered past Nathan to leave the locker room. "You've got to be kidding me," Kelly said.<p>

"So what are we doing today for community service?" the boy asked cheerfully. Curtis rolled his eyes and walked away from him without a word. Nathan just smirked and did the same. Simon was buttoning his jumpsuit in the mirror. Alisha glanced over at him, hoping he would say something, but it was Kelly who had to speak up. "We don't know yet. The probation worker gives us our assignment once we all get out there." "Oh," the boy nodded.

Alisha walked out of the locker room with Kelly, leaving Simon alone with the new kid. "What's his name?" she heard Nathan ask Curtis. He shrugged. "It's Ollie," Kelly called over. Alisha smirked, "Doesn't matter really. Nathan still can't remember Simon-I mean Barry's name." The girls began to laugh.

**~Superhoodie~**

When I need to think I always do parkor. I tucked into a ball as I launched myself from one building and landed on the other. I have been out since Alisha left an hour ago. When I had returned from my latest engagement with the past gang we had talked. Surprisingly, she didn't ask why I came back in time again. She wanted to know what made me care about her so much. I told her it was because she is the most beautiful girl I ever met. She had smiled and ended it there.

I took off my mask and looked out across the lake. What she doesn't know yet is Ollie will be starting community service today and I am supposed to die tomorrow. Alisha always told me I was the smart one of the group. Well, where are my brains now? Where are all my brilliant ideas? Seth won't help me, at least not without a good reason and I had none that he would believe.

**~Nathan~**

Nathan stared down in horror at Ollie on the ground. He was dead. A minute before some nutter had drove up and shot him in the head. Now the guy glared at them. He raised his gun again. Nathan's eyes stretched wide. "Run!" he screamed and the group darted off in different directions.

Eventually they all made it to a roof of a building. Nathan peeked over the edge of the roof and could see the crazy guy walking away in the opposite direction of them. They were safe, for now.

**~Superhoodie~**

I find it highly ironic really that I know Alisha so well, maybe even better than she knows herself, but when we first got together it was the total opposite. This is why it didn't surprise me when she came back right after her community service. She looked a right state.

"Are you alright?" I asked knowingly. "The new guy, Ollie, some guy shot him right in front of us. He's dead," she muttered. I walked toward her and put my arms around her. I knew eventually she would find out that I knew Ollie would die all along, but that didn't matter now. I pulled away just enough so I could see her face and smiled down at her. "How about we go out for some take-away; it'll take your mind off it," I suggested. "But what if we're seen?" "We'll lay-low I know all my favorite shops so we'll just go somewhere you choose." She gave him a mischievous smile, "Well," she said, "there is one place where we could go."

**~Alisha~**

Strawberry Field Café was built in Wertham in the early 80's, a year after John Lennon's death. It quickly became one of the most popular restaurants in Wertham history. As time past and Beatle-fanatics grew up and moved away the shop slowly began to look deserted, but that didn't stop Alisha from going there every once in a while.

Simon opened the door for Alisha as they walked in the restaurant. Alisha could see Simon's eyes stretch wide in surprise as he looked around. The black and white striped walls were covered with pictures, vintage records, and there was even an autographed guitar hanging on a far wall. "What's wrong?" she asked. He shook his head, "Nothing I just didn't know you were interested in the Beatles," he chuckled. She rolled her eyes, "Well my dad was when I was little so I kind of just picked up on it," she said with a half smile. She didn't really want to bring up her parents so she led him to a table in the back, away from the windows.

Simon saw a mini jukebox on the table and began looking through the list of songs. "So how did you find this place?" he asked. "My dad brought me here a couple of times when I was little," she answered as a waiter dropped off a couple of menus. "I wish my parents had taken my sister and me to a place like this," he said. Simon pushed a button on the jukebox and _'All My Loving'_ began to play. His song choice made her smile. That was always the first song she chose when she was little.

"What's your sister's name?" she asked. "Sophia," he answered and picked up a menu. "That's a pretty name," she commented. "It was our Nan's name," he answered. As he flipped through the menu Alisha struggled to find something to say. She had never been the conversation starter and when she was it was usually to make a comment about herself. When she couldn't think of anything she decided to continue the conversation about Sophia. "So how old is she?" she asked. Simon paused and looked up. "Your sister, how old is she?" "Oh she'll be 13 this December," he replied. Alisha smiled softly, "do you miss her?" She bit her lip as Simon's eyes suddenly clouded. "Why did I say that?" she thought and silently cursed herself.

The ring of her cell phone saved her from continuing the awkward conversation. She took it out of her purse and answered it. "Hey." The sound of Curtis's voice startled her. She hadn't expected him to call her, not after she had purposely ignored him all day. She had to hand it to him: he was _very_ persistent and right now, annoying.

**~Superhoodie~**

"Is it alright if I spend the night?" Alisha asked just as she was about to enter the lift. I had already settled down on my bed with a book. I was actually hoping she would stay in the first place so I quickly nodded. She smiled and shut the lift door. She climbed onto the bed and laid down on her side to face me. "What are you reading?" she asked. I could feel my cheeks begin to turn red as I closed the book so she could see the cover. "_'My Sister's Keeper'_; never heard of it. Is it good?" she asked. I nodded.

Although Alisha didn't look it she was quite a reader. It surprised me when we first started dating. I don't know what I expected her hobby to be but it wasn't reading. Like I said she just didn't look like a big reader.

"What's it about?" she asked. I marked my place with my bookmark. "It's about a little girl named Anna who sues her parents for the rights to her own body," I answered. She raised an eyebrow, "why would she do that?" "Because when her parents found out that her older sister had cancer they had Anna created in a lab so they could take things from her to save her sister." "That's awful," Alisha responded. I placed the book on the floor next to the bed. "It's surprising what people will do when they love someone," I said, turning to her. She furrowed her eyebrows, similar to how I always do. "Is that why you came back, because you love me?" she asked. An awkward smile formed on my face. "Yes," I replied. She smiled back at me. I pulled her close, allowing her to cuddle into me. She placed her head on my chest and her arm around my torso. "Why?" she suddenly asked. She looked up at me, question in her eyes. I knew my answer immediately, "Because I will do anything for you. I won't ever leave you."

* * *

><p><em><strong>A.N- <strong>_**This chapter is titled 'All That I'm Asking For' after the song by Lifehouse. 'My Sister's Keeper' is a novel by Jodi Picoult. Alisha never mentions in the series about liking the Beatles but she is often shown reading.**

**This entire chapter was actually written in one class period after I finished an exam which is why half of it probably sounds a bit cheesy. Sorry Nathan's entry is so short he'll have longer parts in future chapters when I get past episode 4 of series 2**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 7

_"Not Alone"_

**~Superhoodie~**

I've always hated to go back on promises. I'll go to extraordinary lengths to keep a commitment with my mates. I kept repeating this to myself as I slipped out of bed, careful not to wake Alisha. It was the only way to justify what I was going to do.

**~Alisha~**

Alisha woke up around 7:30 to find Simon lifting weights as usual. "Do you ever do anything besides working out?" she asked as she rubbed remnants of sleep from her eyes. Simon smirked as he put down the weight and went over to the bed to sit next to her. "I read," he answered. "Is that all?" she asked in exasperation. "Well what do you want me to do then?" he asked laughing. She rolled her eyes, "Well I dunno something I wouldn't expect you to do." Simon scratched his head. "Well there is something I've been needing to give you," he said. He took off a key that had been hanging around his neck and handed it to her. He closed her fingers around the key. "Now you can let your self in."

**~Superhoodie~**

I put on my suit and went out one last time right after Alisha left for community service. I had 6 hours left. There was nothing left for me to do. I had followed through with all my other commitments and now I just had this last one to do. Before Alisha came to me with the guy in the mask story I would've never thought there was any possible way we could ever be together. I wonder what possessed the first Simon to go back for her. Maybe he did it to be a good friend and it led to something more. I'll never know.

I looked over the edge of a building and saw I was outside of Seth's business. I rolled my eyes. I must have absent-mindedly come this way. Well that's what my brain tells me, but my heart feels I should have another go with Seth and as mad as it sounds maybe if I told the truth he'll listen.

**~Alisha~**

Alisha began to panic as the sound of the car quickly neared her. Just moments before the guy who had shot Ollie had grabbed Kelly and demanded for her to tell Conti, who doesn't even exist, to get his money. He was now behind the wheel, completely aware she was in his path, staring at her with an unforgiving cold brown gaze as his foot slammed down even further on the gas pedal. Alisha could feel her legs about to give. She looked up momentarily, hoping to see her Simon coming to her rescue, but saw nothing. She could see an opening between two buildings ahead of her. She gratefully ran toward it and wedged herself into it. She held her breath as the car came closer to her hiding spot but let it go as the car veered away down the street.

**~Superhoodie~**

How foolish was I? I had hoped Seth would be willing to help me with little reason. Seth was still strictly a business man in this time. He had no time for pity requests or Kelly. Kelly had been the only reason he had helped me in the first place. Kelly and Seth won't get together officially for another month yet. Long after I have to take that bullet. I know it's only a waste of time to ask again but at this point I have 5 hours and 41 minutes left and how would I be helping Alisha by sitting in the flat all day?

I knocked on the door. My awkward shyness was trying desperately to make an appearance. I could feel my nerve beginning to fade as the door swung open. "I'm here about my power," I told the guy who answered the door. He gave me an odd look then nodded. Only then did I realize I was wearing the suit. I hope that doesn't change anything. The man disappeared inside. I followed cautiously. He knocked on a large door in the hall and opened it. "You have another customer," he said. "Send them in," came Seth's voice from inside.

I can't say that Seth was surprised to see me again. He looked a bit annoyed actually. "I trust you have proper business with me this time?" he asked expectantly. I bit my lip quickly trying to force together a plan. Seth's eyes narrowed, "Well I haven't got all day," he growled. I sighed; the only words coming to my lips were the truth, the real truth. "I know this may be hard to believe but I'm from the future. You gave me the power of one-way time travel so I could come back." "Why would I _give_ you a power?" Seth asked doubtfully. "Because in the future we become mates through all this weird power shit," I answered. I decided to leave Kelly out of this just in case Seth decides he's better off without her. Seth's shoulders relaxed but I could still see he didn't fully believe me. What's something only someone from the future would know?

Suddenly the answer hit me like that ball did that time I was playing with Sophia. "I know that your girlfriend, Shannon, died and you blame yourself for it." Seth's eyes grew wide as I continued, "She died of an overdose and you're looking for the power of resurrection to bring her back."

**~Nikki~**

"What are you doing here?" Curtis asked Nikki in surprise. Nikki stared up at the band of five hanging on the meat hooks in the warehouse in confusion. "What are you doing up there?" she asked. Curtis glanced behind her quickly. "Never mind that, just get us down," he said. She nodded and went over to the frizzy haired girl first. Nikki had just about got her hands free when the sound of footsteps made her turn. Behind her a bald guy stared at her with dark eyes. She looked down at what he was holding. It was a chainsaw.

**~Alisha~**

"Run Alisha, run!" The words echoed around her as she desperately tried to get away. She had never been that good at running and at that moment cursed herself for blowing off all athletics when she was in school. The crazy guy was not far behind her causing her racing heart to beat faster with fear. She could feel her breath catch in her throat when she realized she was at a dead end. She stopped and searched for an exit but found none. Tears brimmed her eyes as she turned to face her pursuer and her demise. He stared emotionless at her. "This isn't your game. There is no Conti! There is no undercover cop!" Alisha shouted with her quivering voice. The words just seemed to go through him as if he barely heard them. "You think this is a game?" he asked as he pulled his hand out of a pocket revealing a gun. "This is my life."

**~Superhoodie~**

The sound of the gunshot echoed through the warehouse all the way back to the others. "What the heck was that?" Nathan asked, Curtis shouted Alisha's name and struggled to get away but his efforts were in vain. Little did they know of what had happened or who the bullet had hurt. Alisha laid on the floor dead to the world from the impact the bullet had had as I forced it away with my new power.

* * *

><p><em><strong>A.N.- <strong>_**This chaper is titled 'Not Alone' after the song by Red. **

**Don't forget to vote in my poll on my page regarding Simon's sister. The ending of this chapter is misleading. Simon doesn't have the power of creating force fields like he does in the fanfic 'Out of the Loop' by RubyLadybug, but if you haven't read her story yet you should go check it out. :)**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 8

"_Jar of Hearts"_

**~Unknown~**

The sound of quickening footsteps echoed through the silent halls of the space ship. An older gentleman with a long snow white beard barged into the head's office. The commander immediately spun around in his chair, anger blazing in his eyes. "What is it?" he demanded. "I had a dream. I fear it is an omen sir," the man's voice was low. "Go on," the commander said suspiciously. "The masked man will be the end of you," the old man stated. The commander scoffed, "_'the end of me'_? Nothing could ever defeat me." "But the masked man can and will sir. He holds greater power than I have ever seen before." The commander walked up to the old man, "And why should I believe an old druid man?" he asked. "Because my dreams never lie to me. Please sir you must believe me or you will die," the druid insisted. The commander exhaled sharply and turned, "Where is this masked man," he asked as he walked back to his desk. "Wertham, England, Earth."

**~Superhoodie~**

I gently placed Alisha on the bed like I did after I saved her from the mugger. With a little hesitation I stroked her hair. I hope she doesn't wake up before I leave. That will make this so much harder but it has to be done so that we can be together.

**~Alisha~**

Alisha woke up in her Simon's lair. She couldn't remember what had happened. The crazy guy had had her at gun point and he had shot her but besides a minor headache she felt fine. "Simon?" she called out as she sat up. When he didn't reply she got off the bed. She expected to find him in either the shower or kitchen but after a quick search found both empty. Realizing she was alone, she crossed the room and sat down on the bed. She didn't want to seem clingy but she wanted Simon. She had just somehow escaped death and she just wanted someone with her. Alisha got up again. She knew Simon would probably tell her to sit down and rest because she had just been through some major crazy shit but he wasn't there to say anything so she went over to his desk. She wasn't surprised to find a note on it from Simon. He always left notes when he went out. She picked it up and began to read it.

_Dear Alisha, _

_I'm sorry it has to be like this but I have to go. The world isn't ready for us to be together yet. I'll still be with you. Every time you go to community service there I am. I may not look like I'm worth the time of someone as beautiful as you but your love for me makes him become me just give him a chance. ~Simon_

**~Superhoodie~**

I knocked on the large metallic door. I hope he was here. Well why wouldn't he be here? He promised me. Suddenly the door opened ajar. Seth's assistant, Adam, appeared in the opening. "Seth told me to come," I said. Adam nodded and opened the door. I stepped inside and followed Adam down the hall to the door that led to Seth's office. Adam knocked and opened the door. "It's him," Adam reported. Seth told him to send me in and I walked into the office. Adam shut the door behind me, leaving me alone with Seth. Seth was sitting behind his desk, as usual, waiting for a customer that had something profitable to give to come by.

"I did it," I said. Seth nodded, "Good." He clasped his hands together and placed them onto the desk. "As long as you work for me you have the choice of any power you want for free, but in exchange I need your loyalty." He paused then continued, "You are not to see your mates or your girlfriend again." I shut my eyes momentarily and sighed. "It's the only way," I thought. "Alright," I said, "I'll do it."

**~Alisha~**

Her Simon's not coming back this time. The thought made her die a little inside as she curled into his bed and hugged his pillow, taking in as much of his scent as it would allow. "How could he do this to me?" Alisha thought, "With little reason-why would he leave me?" She wanted to hate him for this. She wanted to go out and find him and slap him for doing this to her but she knew even if she did find him she couldn't do that to him. She knew he wouldn't leave her without a good reason but she wished she knew what that reason was.

She sat up. So that was it then. She was to never see him again. The letter said it was her love for him that made Present Simon become her Simon, but how was that even possible. No amount of love can change Simon to become someone like that.

She sighed and looked over at the clocks that had fascinated her Simon so much he would spend countless time staring at them. One of the clocks that had been previously counting down had struck zero. Now only two clocks remained. The next clock was due to strike zero in 9 days. What would happen then?

...

Alisha hoped to get a stressless, Curtis-free day of community service when she arrived at the community center the next day. Of course with her shitty life that wouldn't happen. When she walked into the locker room the first thing she heard was "I think someone killed me last night," from Nathan. She rolled her eyes as she approached the group surrounding Nathan who was slumped on the floor.

"What do you mean you think someone killed you?" she asked in annoyance. "I mean someone smashed my head against the sink until my brains were oozing out my ear," he answered, "why would someone want to kill me?" he asked. Kelly smirked, but surprisingly it was Simon who spoke up first. "You annoy people," he said with a smile. Alisha gasped in disbelief and smirked. It was the first time she had ever seen this Simon have the confidence to show a sense of humor. Maybe her Simon was right after all about this Simon.

"See why would you even say something like that? It's very hurtful. I thought we were friends you ungrateful little twat!" Nathan responded hotly. "Don't speak to him like that," Alisha snapped. "Why are you sticking up for him?" Nathan asked. She bit her lip and looked away when Simon turned to her, his eyes questioning her. She hadn't meant to say that out loud. "Do you love him?" Nathan asked her. Panic immediately overcame her. "Look why don't you go and suck yourself off?" she said and walked away as quickly as possible out of the locker room.

She pressed her back against a wall in the hallway and stared up at the ceiling, trying to steady her breathing. "God Simon," she thought, "what have you done to me?"

* * *

><p><em><strong>A.N- <strong>_**This chapter is titled 'Jar of Hearts' after the song by Christina Perri.**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 9

"_The Wilhelm Scream" _

**~Alisha~**

Alisha slid down to the ground, tears beginning to slide down her face. Why did her life have to be so fucking complicated?

"Hey are you alright?" Kelly's voice brought Alisha out of her thoughts. She quickly wiped the tears off her face. "Yeah I'm fine," she answered. Kelly held out her hand. Alisha took it and lifted herself off the floor. "You're gonna be alright," Kelly said gently, "We all go through a breakup at sometime or another." Alisha nodded and forced a smile. Kelly smiled back and walked off. Once she was gone Alisha sighed in relief. Kelly had contributed her crying to her problems with Curtis and not to her new found interest in Simon.

As much as she didn't want to she figured she better start working before the probation worker came out of his office and yelled at her because if he did right now she just might be in the mood to kill him.

**~Simon~**

Simon heard a thud behind him and turned. Nathan sat on the floor pointing at the probation worker. "Hey you're not allowed to do that," he said in an astonished voice. Curtis snickered. Normally Simon would feel sorry for Nathan because technically the probation worker had abused him, but he had to be honest with himself: Nathan probably disserved it. He turned back to the table. He jumped realizing someone was in front of him. "Hi," she said, pulling the biggest grin he'd ever seen. He gasped. She was beautiful. A beautiful girl was talking to him? He quickly glanced behind him to make sure no one was there. "Hi," he said finally. He could feel his cheeks begin to become hot when his voice came out as an adolescent croak. He cleared his throat. The girl giggled, "Thanks for helping out," she said. Simon smiled, "Well it is for charity. It's a good cause." "I'm Jessica, what's your name?" she asked. "My name is Simon."

**~Superhoodie~**

Even though I'm not there watching their every move I know what's happening by memory. For instance: I know that my past self would've just met Jessica to Alisha and Nathan's annoyance, but more importantly right now the community centre is hosting the charity run. Seth has sent me to fetch this guy doing the run that's offering fair money for the metal manipulating power that Seth gave me. I didn't need it anymore.

The guy was supposed to meet me after hours so no one sees me but just to be safe I wore my suit and mask. If I'm remembering correctly my past self should be out on a date with Jessica, Nathan and Alisha will be spying on us, and Curtis and Kelly will be nowhere to be found.

As I opened the door I found the lights had been shut off for the night. "Hello?" I called out. "Hiya." I spun around to find an older gentleman with graying hair smiling at me. "I'm Frankie and I assume you are Simon," he said. I took off my mask, "Yeah, Seth told me you wanted my power." "Well with Seth I presume there will be a price," Frankie said gruffly. I nodded, "Seth said 40 grand should cover it." Frankie scoffed, "Sounds like something Seth would say. I wouldn't go along with this deal if the power wasn't so powerful. I'd rather that it's with me than out causing chaos again." "_'Again?'_" I gave him a confused look; I hadn't heard anything in the news about chaos lately, at least unusual supernatural-chaos. "Yeah about a week ago some kid in Manchester had it and after accidentally killing his dog and scaring the hell out of his family and friends he came here to give the power to Seth, who was suppose to give it to me but instead you ended up with it and here we are." I furrowed my brow. Although his story did sound a bit odd I didn't really have a reason or time to contradict him so I let it go.

"So do we have a deal?" I asked. "Of course," he replied and extended his hand to me. Recently while watching Seth make deals with other power dealers I've noticed that Seth's power isn't as unique as it sounds. I took the guy's hand. Immediately a glowing light flared out of our hands and a moment later it was gone. My hand fell back to my side as Frankie took out his wallet and handed me 40 grand. "Well it was nice doing business with you," Frankie said with a smile and walked away.

**~Nathan~**

Alisha dialed Curtis's number but for once he was the one not picking up. Alisha scoffed as Nathan walked up to her in the car park outside the pub. "Kelly's not picking up. Where's Curtis?" he asked. "He's not picking up," she answered.

Nathan didn't really know why she was there. He had phoned her a ½ hour ago and told her (well more of shouted, really) that Jessica had killed some bloke and dumped the body in the community centre. She had immediately gotten concern because Barry is supposed to be out on a date with this psycho. So we decided to follow them and eavesdrop in case the bitch tries anything.

Nathan gave Alisha's shoulder a nudge. "So who would have thought, huh?" he said with a grin, "you and me teaming up?" She smirked, "this has to be the least weird thing that's happened to me recently," she answered. Nathan raised an eyebrow at her then shrugged. She was right. He was immortal for god sakes! How normal is that?

"Here they come," Alisha whispered. Nathan looked up and saw Barry and Jessica walking out of the pub toward the car park. "Come on," Nathan whispered to her and tugged her behind a car. They both squatted down and watched the couple. "Come here," Jessica said to Barry and tugged him to a wall. She leaned in and kissed him. When she pulled away of course Barry had his normal wide-eyed stare probably because (for all Nathan knew) it was his first kiss with an actual girl.

Nathan rolled his eyes and looked over at Alisha when Jessica began to kiss Barry again. He looked at the troubled look Alisha was giving the two in confusion. "Why are you here?" he asked suddenly, a bit louder than he wanted to. He glanced over at Barry and Jessica just to make sure they were still occupied. Alisha bit her lip, "I don't know. Why are you here?" she asked quickly. "Maybe I like him more than I let on," he answered with a smile. Alisha shrugged, "Maybe I do to."

**~Simon~**

Jessica smiled at the astonished look Simon knew he must be giving her. "I have to go. See you tomorrow?" He nodded. "She wants to see me again?" he thought in amazement, "She actually wants to see me again?" As if to answer his question Jessica kissed his cheek before going off to do whatever to get ready for the charity run next day.

Simon placed his fingers on the spot on his cheek where she had kissed him. Only the damp outline of her lips made it register to him that it had actually happened. An incredulous smile spread across his lips. Never before did he think something like this would ever happen to him. He smirked. Nathan was going to have a right field day about this. "Nathan stop it!" "That sounds like Alisha," he thought. Simon walked swiftly toward a parked car that looked oddly familiar. Behind the car he found Nathan sitting on the ground while Alisha was squatting next to him. "Were you following me?" he asked. "No!" Nathan said and scrambled to his feet. "We were-um," he glanced at Alisha who shook her head at him, "we were just about to go out for a drink and-" "We were worried about you," Alisha admitted, "We came to see if you were alright." "I'm fine," Simon said.

He pinned his lips together. Nathan and Alisha had tried to stop him from seeing Jessica earlier. Nathan was obviously jealous that someone like Simon had gotten a girl while he was still alone. As for Alisha-well he didn't know why Alisha was here. She'd been acting weird for a while now.

"Look we only came to make sure your new girlfriend doesn't do you in like she did the guy in the community centre," Nathan said. "What guy?" Simon asked. "There's a dead guy back at the community centre. Your new girlfriend killed him!" Simon furrowed his brow. Nathan was talking nonsense as usual. "How could she kill him if she was with me the entire time?" he asked. Simon could see by Nathan's eyes he was a bit taken aback. "Look would I lie about something like this?" Nathan asked. "Yes," Simon thought immediately but said nothing. "Come back to community centre and see for yourself," Nathan offered then scoffed at Simon's reluctance, "We're only looking out for you man." Simon wanted to continue the conversation and ask why they cared. Nathan was probably only interested in him and Jessica because he was jealous. He hadn't had a girl since Ruth and according to him that didn't count because everything about her turned out to be a total lie. But that still didn't explain why Alisha would want to help.

"Alright," he said finally, "show me."

**~Jessica~**

Jessica Ashton could never be called a girly-girl, or a slag, or even a tom-boy. She was always just Jessica. Her mother always said that's what she liked about her: she was born a common person but given the time she will blossom into someone beautifully unique. When she died a little of Jessica went with her. She believed her father felt the same way as she grew up but hid it for her sake. Every year they would travel to a memorial service in London for those who had fallen to cancer. They would sit a silent candlelight vigil the entire night. One year she could have sworn she saw a tear slide down her father's face, but it was gone in the blink of an eye. All those years of holding in his grief was finally taking its toll on him and from that moment on he was never the same man again. He became very protective of her, fearful of losing the last connection with his beloved wife which ultimately led to the downfall of his relationship with Jessica.

_3 days later…_

**~Alisha~**

Nathan pulled Simon into a hug; astonished by the news he had just been given. The weird, painfully shy kid of the group had finally become a man. "And I will expect to hear every disgusting detail," Nathan told him, "This calls for a drink." Nathan went over to the cooler they had left on the roof the previous day and grabbed a beer for each of them. Nathan went to the edge of the roof and looked out at the water. The sun was beginning to set, casting its bright reflection into the lake. He opened his beer as the wind began to pick up. "Maybe this is what its like to be superheroes," Simon joked from behind him. Nathan smirked, "I think it's going to take a lot more than you getting laid to turn you into a superhero."

Suddenly the ground began to shake violently. "What's happening?!" Kelly screamed. Curtis staggered backwards and landed on his bum. Kelly did the same. Alisha stumbled away from the edge. She forced herself to keep her balance but her attempt was in vain. Just as she was about to tumble over the edge she felt a hand clench her shirt and jerk her backward. She landed on the ground gasping for air. As quickly and unannounced the earthquake had come it stopped. "Is everyone alright?" Simon asked. Alisha jumped. She hadn't realized how close Simon was to her before. Had he saved her?

She sat up. Kelly and Curtis were lying nearby with equal expressions on their faces. They all had heard of earthquakes before but none of them had ever experienced one, especially not one like that. That seemed like something out of a science-fiction film. She looked at the others bewildered. What if there's an aftershock? "Where's Nathan?!" Kelly exclaimed suddenly. "He was the closest to the edge," Alisha responded absent mindly. Kelly scrambled to her feet and peered over the edge. "Kelly be careful he's immortal, you're not," Simon cautioned. The others remained on the ground while Kelly checked for Nathan's body. "He's not there," she reported finally. "What do you mean he's not there?" Simon asked. He quickly got up and went over to the edge of the building.

**~Nathan~**

You always hear that when you die there's a bright light but what do they know? Nathan had died several times and there was never a blinding light shining in his eyes when he woke up, not even once. So it wasn't surprising when he woke up staring up at the branches of a bush. He let out a groan then began to fight his way out of the bush. He stretched and pulled a couple of trigs out of his curly hair. Suddenly he stopped and looked around him in confusion. Where was he? Nothing around him seemed familiar. Surrounding him were normal things you would expect but the one unusual thing was that nothing around him seemed recognizable.

* * *

><p><em><strong>A.N- <strong>_**The chapter 'The Wilhelm Scream' after the song by James Blake.**

**I read a couple of days ago Matthew McNulty (Seth) will be returning for series 4. He and Kelly were so close at the end of series 3 I wonder how they wrote her out. I hope they didn't kill off Kelly, she was one of my favorites.**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 10

"_Where Have All the Children Gone?"_

**~Simon~**

"Wait I see him," Simon shouted suddenly. "Where, is he alright?" Kelly asked. "He's not moving," Simon reported. "I'm gonna go down and check on him," Kelly decided as she stood up. "Yeah we all better get off this roof. It isn't safe," Curtis pointed out.

**~Superhoodie~**

I groaned as I pulled myself into a sitting position. Seth didn't have any work for me so he let me go early. I had gone out to practice my moves when the ground began to shake. My side now ached excruciatingly where I had fallen off a building and into a rubbish bin. As much as it hurt I know I couldn't stay here. Alisha and the others would be leaving the community centre soon and they would surely pass this road to get to the pub. I gathered myself and forced myself to stand up. I had to get to Seth's apartment to check my wounds. I think I might have broken something. Since I began working for Seth I have been living with him. He said as long as I worked for him I can stay.

I opened the door and walked into the apartment. The sound of distant scuffling brought my attention away from my injuries. I drew against the wall and stayed to the shadows as I walked in the directions of Seth's bedroom. The door stood only ajar as I peeked inside the room. I could see two large men inside. One was crouched over someone while the other stood back and observed. It took me a moment to realize the person lying on the floor was Seth. The man pinning him down jerked him to his feet. "You will come without resistance and do as you're told," The other man said to Seth. Seth swung his head away from the man, not wanting to answer him. I held my breath as he looked at me. His nose was bleeding and the right side of face was bruised and swelling. 'Go' he mouthed to me as the men tied his hands behind his back. I nodded and backed away. I crept down the hall and slipped into the hall closet. "Where are you taking me?" I could hear Seth say through the door. "Downing Street," Answered one of the two men who were forcing Seth toward the front door of the apartment. "What do you want with me?" Seth demanded, "I have a right to know." There was the sound of scuffling again as if the three had gotten into another fight but it ended quickly. "We know who you are Seth McNulty and we know what you can do," came the sound of a dark voice.

The sound of the front door opening and closing signaled that it was safe to come out of the closet. A mixture a panic and fear gripped me. They knew about Seth's powers so does that mean they knew about _everyone's_ powers? What were they going to do? I knew there was no way to answer these questions just standing around in the apartment. I have to find Adam, he's been Seth's assistant longer than I have, he'll know what to do.

**~Alisha~**

Alisha noticed something was wrong as she went home that day but she just brushed it off to how weird the day had been. First the random earthquake- the strongest in this part of England's recorded history without aftershocks, then Nathan loses his memory- it's totally gone and they didn't know where his mum lived so Kelly to him back to hers, and finally the probation worker sending them home early because he said if there was an aftershock and one of them were seriously hurt he would have to pay reparations because they were under his watch. When they told him about Nathan he said that wasn't serious damage because it'll eventually come back.

A cool breeze blew past her as she unlocked her parents' flat. She had decided to spend a little less time at future Simon's place. Her nightly visits the passed week were starting to look a little obsessive. She scoffed at what her mum would call her _'naïve-ness'_. She had always been obsessed with something. In her younger years it was innocent little things such as toys and book collections, but as she grew into her teen years that's where the trouble started and her mother began to lose faith in her. That's where every connection she had ever made with her mum had been severed like that snow globe her parents had once given her when they came back from a vacation. She had chucked it at a wall one day when her mum forbade her from going to a party. Now that she thought about it, it was the exact party which had recently gotten her community service. That one party had broken the last bond she shared with her parents and changed her life forever.

She walked into the living room and shut the door behind her. Light shined faintly into the room through the maroon curtains that covered the one window in the room. As she walked towards her bedroom she past the kitchen where the money her parents left her was still lying on the floor.

**~Kelly~**

"So is there anything you do remember?" Kelly asked. Nathan thought for a moment then said, "I remember my name…" His voice trailed off as he sunk into his thoughts again. "What about the other day with you and the vending machine?" Kelly pressed, "You have to remember that. Your arm was stuck in that machine for hours." Nathan gave her a quizzical look, "Why didn't I ask someone for change?" Kelly scoffed, "That's not the point. Do you remember or not?" "Jeez sorry if I could remember I would," Nathan answered quickly.

Kelly sighed. They had been sitting on the couch a while now and frankly they were getting no where. Maybe the probation worker was right: it's best to let his memory come back on his own time. He's less of a prick without his memory anyways.

**~Adam~**

Adam Smith was 20-years-old and still living with his parents, granted he did use to spend some nights with his cousin, Seth, but he hadn't since Seth had gotten this new flatmate. Adam worked for Seth and the guy was even starting to move in on his job. He couldn't help but wonder how the two became such close friends so fast. Seth was never really the friendly type.

Adam yawned as he closed up Seth's office. Seth had gone home to check and see if everything was okay. After the earthquake he had called his flatmate to see if anything had been damaged in the shake but no one had answered.

"Adam!" Adam glanced up the road and saw Seth's flatmate charging up to him. Adam rolled his eyes. "What the hell does he want?" he thought.

**~Superhoodie~**

I slid to a stop in front of Adam, barely keeping my balance. I had run all the way from the apartment despite the pain I still felt in my side and it now felt like I was on my last breath. I gasped for air as Adam stared at me in confusion. "What are you doing here? Seth is already gone," he informed me. "There were these guys in the flat. They took him," I said, finally catching my breath. Shock spread across his face. "Must have been Travis and his guys," Adam muttered to himself then glared at me, "Why didn't you help him?" he snapped, "You know he didn't just hire you to run errands for him. Your supposed to be there for him-" "I couldn't he told me not to," I shouted back then added more quietly, "I think they knew about his power and that's why they took him." Adam rolled his eyes, "Of course that's why they took him. Seth's power is no secret thanks to the advertising we've done."

I shifted uncomfortably. Curtis told us once there was a timeline where the gang becomes famous but we're all killed. Didn't Seth know how dangerous it was to advertise his powers?

"They're taking him to Downing Street in London," I said. "Where on Downing Street?" Adam asked. I shrugged, "We have to be careful, if they know about Seth how long before they know about us?" My final words came out as no more that a whisper. Fear overcame me again. This hadn't happened before, at least not in the timeline I remember.

"Are you going to stand there all day?!" Adam scowled, interrupting my thoughts. He had already walked halfway down the block without me realizing it. I jogged up to him. "This isn't supposed to happen," I said as we walked down the block. Adam kicked a piece of loose gravel and shoved his hands into his pants' pockets, "A lot of things aren't supposed to happen but they do." "Well I'm from the future," I reminded him, "I would know." "Right," Adam muttered. Seth and I had explained to Adam that I had come from the future for a special job, but even with Adam's knowledge of Seth's business he still seemed to not believe me for some reason. Ignoring Adam's sarcasm I asked, "So where are we going now?" "We're going to Downing Street."

* * *

><p><em><strong>A.N-<strong>_** This chapter is called 'Where Have All the Children Gone?' after the song by ****Joseph Kerschbaum. (This song gives me the creeps but for some strange reason I like it.)**

**Kelly mentions to Nathan that he got his arm stuck in a vending machine. That's from the webisode called 'Man vs Machine'. **


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 11

"_Bring Me To Life"_

**~Alisha~**

Alisha waited on the bench in the locker room for the others. For no reason at all she had come to community service early that morning. She hadn't been able to sleep.

What was she supposed to do now? She felt like something was wrong but couldn't put her finger on what it was. Why couldn't future Simon leave her a list of instructions? She knew that wasn't how he did things but that would make things a hell of a lot easier.

"Oi! What are you doing here?" Alisha jumped at the sound of the probation worker's voice. He was standing next to the row of lockers staring at Alisha, expecting an answer. "I was just…I was-well what are you doing here?" she demanded, her face beginning to glow hot with embarrassment. "I, unlike you, have to be here every morning at this time," he said mockingly, "now are you going to just sit there or are you going to do some work?" "But it isn't time for my community service yet. Nobody else is even here," she protested. "Then next time don't come to work early eh," he said as he left the locker room. Alisha scoffed but decided she had nothing better to do so might as well do as she was told.

**~Kelly~**

Kelly could hear coughing from the couch as she fed her dog. Her mum was standing next to the stove cooking. "How long will he be here?" she asked without looking up. Her mum hadn't been pleased when she had found Nathan sleeping on the couch that morning. After a short argument with her daughter she had reluctantly allowed him to stay temporarily. "I'm going to go out looking for his mum today but he'll have to stay here if we don't find her." Her mother sighed but didn't say anything else.

Kelly set the table for her and Nathan by placing two bowls, two cups, silverware, a box of Ready Brek, and a bottle of orange juice onto it. Kelly knew Nathan didn't like Ready Brek but it was one of the quicker things to make and besides maybe he wouldn't remember how much he hated it so it wouldn't kill him to bear with the taste just for today.

**~Simon~**

Simon straightened the collar of his navy shirt. He sighed. His mum and dad had asked him to watch Sophia so they can go visit Grandfather. They rarely asked Simon to watch her because he was so timid and quiet so Simon could easily expect this was an emergency. Grandfather was old and his memory was beginning to go. Last time Simon had seen him he had been sixteen and he had mistaken Simon for his father. Simon had been instructed to pick up his sister from her friend's house directly after community service.

Simon walked into the community centre to find the front hall where everyone usually hangs out empty. He looked at his watch. He was early, 45 minutes to be exact. He sighed again, with all the chaos the morning had brought he had forgotten to check the time. He could hear noise coming from the REC room down the hall. He walked to the room and found Alisha unpacking boxes. Simon walked up to her. "Alisha," he said. He could see a shutter quickly pass through her before she turned. "Hi Simon. What are you doing here?" she asked. "I forgot to check my watch before leaving home," he said simply, "What are you doing here?" "I guess you can say I did the same thing," she answered. He nodded towards the boxes, "why are you doing that? Community service doesn't start for another 45 minutes." "The probation worker asked me to and I have nothing else to do," she said. Simon furrowed his brow. He knew she was withholding something, something that had been bothering her for a while now. He'd thought about asking several times but feared she'd grow cross with him and wouldn't look at him at all anymore.

**~Alisha~**

She could feel her face grow hot with embarrassment as he stared at her. He looked so much like the Simon that already knew her more than she knew herself. She wondered how long before he changed into her Simon. She turned away as his eyes began to be too much to bear. "Are you alright?" he asked. "Yes I'm fine," she responded without looking at him. She went back to what she had been doing. He examined the contents of the box she was rifling through. There were a variety of things inside. "What's all that for?" he asked, intrigued by the fact he saw a couple of comics and DVDs he recognized inside. "The probation worker wanted me to clean up the cupboard. He said we can keep the stuff we find and chuck what we don't want."

Simon knelt down next to Alisha and began to rummage through the box with her. He pulled out a book and began to look it over. "Are you keeping that?" Alisha asked, staring amusingly at him. He was reading the summary on the back panel of the book and seemed to already have lost connection with the world. She took advantage of the moment by watching him. It hurt her how she knew she couldn't reveal her Simon's secret to this one yet. "Alisha…are you alright?" Only then did it occur to her that Simon was staring back at her. She quickly turned away but there was no point really he had already seen her staring. "You have been acting weird lately," she heard him say, "Is something wrong?" She turned and looked into his concerned eyes and forced a smile, "I'm fine, just fine." He stared at her for a few moments then held out his bare hand to her. The concern his eyes had been eradicated by a hard determined stare that Alisha didn't recognize on this Simon's face. "Touch me," he said. Alisha recoiled in shock from him, "Why?" she demanded. "I'm only checking to make sure you aren't Lucy. As soon as your power starts to work on me I'll pull away," his voice slowly began to grow gentler as he continued to speak. Alisha wanted to touch him but uncertainty rang in her ears: what if something bad happens? What if it was a repeat of the close call she had had in the park with Curtis and the charity guy? What if this time she couldn't get away?

It wasn't just her at stake. What if it messed up the timeline and she and Simon never got together? She got up and backed away from him carefully. It wasn't like him to be so demanding of her, not yet at least. Simon watched her clustered thoughts cause her apprehension to increase, his hypnotic blue eyes bored into her. Finally he sighed and before she could do anything Simon grabbed her wrist.

**~Superhoodie~**

I stared out the window of the car watching the countryside go by. The sun shining down on us from the clear blue sky hid the dark events that were sure to unfold that day. The steady trickle of increasing traffic noted our distance from London. Adam sat slouched in his seat with his hands so tightly clenched to the steering wheel that his knuckles were now a pale white. His face was emotionless though, hiding his worry for Seth and possible anger towards me.

I couldn't help but feel remorseful toward the situation. Could I have helped Seth escape? With my knowledge of my past and future I knew this question was something I've never had to face before. Does this mean I'm currently changing my timeline? I pressed my lips together in slight irritation. This had to be my fault. Why did I have to go and try to be so clever by not letting myself die? I should've known better: two Simons were never meant to exist at once!

**~Curtis~**

Curtis had all but given up on his relationship with Alisha which he had mentioned to her last week. She had oddly seemed okay about it. The thought of there was someone else continuously came back to his mind but he always pushed it away. Alisha had promised if they got together there would be no one else. He supposed it didn't matter now. It was over between him and her so she could date anyone she wanted.

**~Alisha~**

Her mind went blank. They somehow ended up in the storage room of the community centre. She couldn't remember anything, only that never once did her hand try to remove his from her wrist. She didn't know how long it was before her senses came back to her and she forced him to release his tight grip on her-5 minutes, 10, maybe even 30, but the look in his eyes when he let go. The horror that had engulfed those deep blue eyes, which were now staring directly into hers, completely eradicated all relation with her Simon.

Alisha, unable to face him, grabbed up her knickers and jumpsuit, quickly put them on, and left the room as quickly as possible, leaving the person alone on the floor who had the outer shell of the man whom she loved more than anything else in the world but the mind, nobleness, and physique of a complete stranger.

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><p><em><strong>A.N-<strong>_** This chapter is title 'Bring Me To Life' after the song by Evanescence. **

**The whole thing with Simon accusing Alisha of being Lucy is derived from a tweet on Simon's twitter. **

**Remember to review. **


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 12

"_Wonder Wall" _

**~Kelly~**

Kelly arrived with Nathan at the community centre around 8:00. On the way Kelly had had to explain to Nathan why they had to go to the community centre and how she had gotten community service. When he asked how he had been given community service she couldn't answer because Nathan had never explained to her how he had ended up in the gang other than because he ate some Pik N Mix- which was complete and utter bollocks. Kelly showed Nathan to his locker and she went to hers to get dressed. She was just slipping into her jumpsuit when Alisha came barging into the locker room. Alisha paused suddenly realizing she wasn't alone then turned her face sharply out of Kelly's view. Alisha then walked out of the room as quickly as possible. Kelly stared after her for a moment. Alisha had been crying. To Kelly she had seemed upset for a while now, but she had never seen her to the point of tears. Kelly glanced at Nathan. He was struggling to get into his jumpsuit. Knowing Nathan he may be still doing so when she returned so she decided to go after Alisha.

**~Alisha~**

Alisha walked outside and sat down at one of the picnic tables. The sky was a deep flawless blue and the sun sat at an angle from her in the sky. The cool early November winds brushed her cheeks as another series of tears threatened to flow down them.

She wondered if this was supposed to happen. Did Simon always know he touched her while she still had this unbearable curse? "Alisha!" She turned at the sound of her name. She saw Simon running towards her. She stood up and backed away as he approached her. "Don't touch me!" she yelled. He stopped. His eyes were wide with a mixture of concern and fear. "I'm sorry," he said softly, "That wasn't-it wasn't-" "That wasn't supposed to happen," she finished for him in a bitter tone, "well no shit Sherlock." "Alisha I'm serious." "So am I. You shouldn't have touched me." "I know and I'm sorry. I can make it up to you." Alisha scoffed, "I don't need your pity Simon." To Alisha's surprise Simon rolled his eyes, "Why are you making this so difficult? I'm only being nice because we're friends and I want to make it up to you by taking you out for a drink because we're _friends_." Alisha was surprised by the force of his voice, but based on her recent experiences with Simon she knew it could be gone in a moment's notice. "Fine," she muttered as she crossed her arms.

Simon smirked at her stance. She looked like a bratty child who had just given in to her parents. "Why are you laughing at me?" she asked in an annoyed tone. He shook his head and sighed, "Nothing. We should go inside."

"It must be hard," Simon said as they walked inside the building, "not being able to touch anyone. I mean what if you had to be in the hospital. How would the doctors help you?" "They wear gloves," Alisha said with a roll of her eyes. "I'm sorry. I wasn't-I didn't mean it like that." Simon's stuttering made her smile. Although he was still timid he was beginning to talk more. Enthusiastic about this recent development she couldn't help herself from prying. "So what happened with you and Jessica?" she asked. Simon sighed, "Her dad's going to prison. She doesn't think we should see each other anymore." She couldn't help but smile, "Well her dad turning out to be a serial killer kind of puts a downer on the relationship. You'll find someone else," her tone of voice made him stare at her in wonder for a moment but he then shook his head and walked on down the hall to the locker room without her.

She sighed and followed him in. She could see Curtis had finally made it. As she entered the locker room she could see a panicked look in his eyes as he turned to her. "You're alive," Curtis gasped. He ran up to Alisha and was about to hug her when he remembered her power. "Are you alright?" she asked. The concern in his eyes confused her. Kelly walked into the locker room soon afterwards. "What's going on?" she asked. Curtis looked at her, "There's something we need to do."

**~Brian~**

Brian Metcalfe groaned as his alarm clock went off. He slowly opened his eyes. He knew there was no way of stopping it, the day was in motion and he needed to start his daily routine. He reached out and turned off the alarm. As he pulled back his covers he found a thin layer of sweat had covered his body during the night. He sighed, now he would need to take a shower, cutting his breakfast short by 10 minutes, to remove the grime that his body had acquired during the night.

He went and showered and dressed himself in a white shirt with a light blue jumper and kaki trousers. He looked at himself in the mirror. He was a pretty boring, childish looking person with his short hair and chubby cheeks he could easily be mistaken for a school boy. He straightened his red bow tie. It was new- not that Maria, the love of his life who ceases to notice his existence, would notice. She never noticed anything about him-not that he didn't notice her. The other day she came in, in a beautiful red skirt which perfectly complemented her long legs. His heart had leaped into his throat and he had barely made it through the rest of his shift while she hung around the shop talking to a girl that wasn't even nearly as beautiful as she was. Brian sighed as he left the mirror and went downstairs. She would never notice him and even his parents knew this, who had given up on him amounting to anything. He was a walking failure as a human being and there was nothing that could change that.

**~Alisha~**

Curtis said nothing as they approached a neighboring estate. Alisha could tell by the look in his eyes that something bad had happened. There was no doubt in her mind it had something to do with his power. "Won't the probation worker wonder where we are?" Nathan asked. "That might be the least of our worries right now," Alisha thought. Kelly abruptly stopped. Alisha, who had been trailing behind Kelly, Nathan, and Curtis to keep pace with Simon, bumped into her. Kelly stumbled but caught her balance then glanced back at Alisha questioningly. "He is right," Kelly said to Curtis, "You just can't force us to go somewhere." Curtis looked slightly annoyed as he turned to the questioning looks he was receiving. "I know that. I'm going to explain later, but we have to keep moving."

**~Superhoodie~**

We made it to the Downing Street gate on foot in mid afternoon. There was one security guard on duty, which is pretty odd considering to my knowledge there was always at least two. "Reverend!" Adam said sharply to the guard, "I should have known it was you. What have you done with Seth?" The guard said nothing as he gestured for us to follow him. We walked with him inside a small building that was near the gate. It looked like his office. Maybe he was a legit security guard but how did he know Adam and Seth? Maybe he was caught in the storm to.

"Seth is safe," the guard said as he sat down then looked at me, "well Adam aren't you going to introduce me?" "Where's my cousin?" Adam demanded. "We'll get to that introduce me to your friend first. I would like to know who I'll be working with." "My name is Simon," I put in quickly so the subject could move on to more important matters. The guard put his elbows on the arms of his chair and clasped his hands together, "Nice to meet you Simon. I'm the Reverend." "The twat's name is Samuel Lennon. His father's a reverend but there's nothing holy about this guy," Adam said. Samuel gave Adam a smug look, "My dealings with the Lord have-" "Oh save your shit! Where's Seth," Adam snapped. "I'm merely a messenger. I don't know where Seth is at the moment but I know he's safe. It's Harvey you'll need to talk to after you get something in exchange." "What's that?" Adam asked. "Seven hundred and fifty thousand pounds." "You're ransoming my cousin?" Adam asked dryly. "_'Ransom'_ is such a harsh word I prefer _'trading'_.

Suddenly Adam launched himself at Samuel. Samuel stood causing his chair to fall over. I grabbed Adam by the back of his shirt and pulled him towards the doorway. "We'll get your money," I told Samuel. "Bring it here when you do. You have three days," he called after us as I nearly dragged Adam outside. I dropped Adam and shut the door of Samuel's office once we were outside. "What the hell did you do that for?" Adam yelled as he glared up at me from the ground, "We need to find Seth." "And we won't find him if you kill the only connection we have to his location," I reasoned. "I wasn't going to kill him," Adam responded in a defeated tone, "Well where are we going to get 750,000 pounds?" Adam asked.

I thought of the bank that the gang had robbed the day I was supposed to die. The bank probably realized the money had gone missing and would now have more security and without my invisibility we'd be caught in an instant. I wonder who has my power now.

"Are there any other power dealers nearby?" I asked. "What the hell are you going on about?" Adam asked. He stood and dusted his pants off. "A few days ago I delivered a power to a bloke called Franky. He's a power dealer to so maybe we can get a power from him that could help us get the money." "Franky Martinez? There's no way mate. Franky has never given up a power without money." "But Franky needs Seth to hold powers he wants. Seth told me Franky was an out-of-town dealer so without Seth, Franky would be missing out on a lot of opportunities of powers from Wertham," I pointed out. Adam paused to consider this for a moment, "I still don't think it'll work but it's worth a try. Franky has an office in Essex. We'll drive up tonight."

**~Alisha~**

Alisha felt a tap on her shoulder as she picked up an empty candy wrapper and put it into the bag she was carrying. When they returned the probation worker had yelled at them but of course he did nothing except say 'don't let it happen again.' Alisha only scoffed at the empty threat. Of course he wouldn't do anything if, well, when it did.

Alisha turned around to find Nathan. She was a bit surprised but then remembered this Nathan was different. "Why do you think Curtis punched that guy?" he asked. "I'm sure he had his reasons," she replied, "He said it was a long story and he'd tell us when we go to the pub after community service." "But don't you think it was a bit weird? He didn't even give the guy a chance to explain so it must have been really bad." Alisha could feel wariness enter her as Nathan walked off. What had happened that could be so bad? Curtis never acted without good reason.

The question pestered her the remainder of community service. By the time they had all changed back into their regular clothes she was so worked up she wanted to march over to Curtis and demand to know what happened, but she didn't. Instead she cursed herself for being so over sensitive about something that had been prevented from happening.

She walked out of the locker room and down the hall toward the girl's washroom. "Alisha wait!" Alisha turned and saw Simon running toward her. "I forgot I have to baby-sit my little sister so I can't take you out for that drink. Is that okay?" he asked nervously. Alisha laughed. Simon stepped away from her clearly taking her laughter the wrong way. "Simon its okay, of course it's okay, it's your sister. We can go out another time," she said. "Go out?" Simon asked with widened eyes. Alisha bit her lip. She could have the conversation she had wanted to have for a long time right now and now as it was happening it was nerve-racking. "Yeah you know, you asked me to go out for a drink with you," she said with a sheepish smile. Simon stared at her for a moment as if she was speaking a foreign language he wasn't completely accustomed to. He opened his mouth, indicating he had more to say but before he could speak Kelly and Nathan walked out of the locker room. "Are you guys ready yet?" Kelly asked. "We'll be right there," Alisha answered back. She bit her lip again, this time tasting blood. Simon hadn't blink for at least over a minute now and it was beginning to make her even more uneasy. However she somehow found it in herself to say, "We'll talk later yeah?" Her voice was so soft she didn't know whether or not she'd been heard until he nodded.

She smiled at him again then started after Kelly and Nathan. As she walked away she hoped he would stop her. Hoped he would grab her and tell her everything would be okay like his future self would but she heard no footsteps behind her as she walked away. Suddenly she came to a realization that made her stop. She would never get any where with him if she didn't push him a little. She turned and saw he was still there, in the same spot. "Simon do you always have to look after your sister?" He shook his head, "my granddad's sick so my parents had no choice but to leave her with me." "Have ever watched her before?" she pressed. He shook his head again then raised an eyebrow, "Why?" She hesitated then reminded herself this was the only way. "Do you need help?" "Why would you want to help me?" he asked warily. "Well because it's like you said," she responded, "_because we're friends_ and that's what friends do."

They went outside where everyone was already waiting for them. "What took you two so long?" Curtis asked. "I was just talking to Simon about something," she admitted. Curtis, Kelly, and Nathan all gave her the same confused look. "What were you talking to him for?" Curtis asked her suspiciously. Alisha scoffed, "Nothing. I can talk to who I like. And why do you even care? It's not like we're still together." She glanced at Simon then added more calmly to Curtis, "By the way we can't join you tonight. Simon's going to help me with something." "Why didn't you ask me?" Curtis asked in an offended tone. "Because I just didn't," she responded dryly. She didn't really want to get in another argument with Curtis right there in front of Simon so she decided to be the bigger person. She grabbed the sleeve of Simon's jean jacket and directed him away from the group. Even though she couldn't see them she could feel their stares burning into her back.

As they walked down the road together Simon kept glancing at Alisha just to make sure she was there. He couldn't believe she was doing this. Why is she doing this? "This one," Simon pointed at the last flat of the row running down the left side of the street. It looked the same as all the others: cracked white paint, a brown door, and a small front garden surrounded by a wooden fence. The only way to tell the difference between all of them was the gold colored numbers on the front doors. Simon knocked on the door numbered 469. "I'm coming, I'm coming!" came the heavy Blackpool accent of a woman as she loudly trudged toward the door. The door opened to reveal a fairly short woman with green eyes and brown graying hair. "What is it then?" she demanded when Simon said nothing. "We're here to pick up his sister, Sophia," Alisha blurted out. Simon gave her another wide-eyed stare but said nothing. The woman nodded and disappeared to find the girl. "Tommy if I catch you jumping on that couch one more time your ass is mine!" the woman shouted, "Rachel, Sophia's delinquent brother is here!" Alisha stared at Simon in disbelief, but he only looked down with a look on his face that said, _"Please it's nothing."_

As footsteps approached the entrance again a little girl appeared. There was no doubt in Alisha's mind she was Simon's sister. Her face was a younger more feminine version of her brother's. However after greeting them Alisha noted Sophia had no traces of Simon's shyness. "What's your name?" she asked, "Alisha and I suppose you're Sophia." "Wrong, I hate it when people call me Sophia. I prefer Emily." Alisha smiled, "Well it's nice to meet you Emily."

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><p><em><strong>A.N- <strong>_**This chapter is titled 'Wonderwall' after the song by Oasis. **

**Brian is played by Jordan Metcalfe in the famous episode (2.6)**

**Don't worry Nathan will get his memory back soon. Remember to Review.**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 13

"_I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"_

**~Superhoodie~**

We arrived in Essex near 10 that night. Adam parked the car in a lot filled with garages. "A storage lot?" I questioned and Adam nodded in response. "Not all dealers have such a posh office as Seth does," he answered. We got out of the car and I followed him to one of the garages. Adam bent to pull the door open but it wouldn't budge. He sighed and straightened himself. "It seems we have missed him," he reported with a hint of disappointment in his voice. The silhouette of a man appeared between us. "Are you looking for me?"

**~Alisha~**

Most twelve-year-old girls find pleasure in hanging out with friends and chatting about their crushes but this is where Emily differed from other girls. When her time could be spent doing normal activities of those her age she followed a path more like her brother's. She spent a lot of her time reading and studying. She even had A's in every subject in school.

Alisha learned all this on her walk to Simon and Emily's home. Emily proved to be quite the talker as she raved on about this book series she was reading that chronicled the lives of groups of cats around a lake. "That sounds interesting," Alisha said then glanced at Simon. There was a smirk on his face. "What are you laughing about?" Alisha asked him. The smirk quickly disappeared as his blue eyes met her green ones. "Nothing," he said in his normal innocent voice. "So are you two friends?" Emily asked. "Yeah," Alisha responded, her eyes still on Simon. She turned away and stared ahead as they entered the stairwell of a building and climbed the steps. "We live in #409. Where do you live Alisha?" Emily asked. "In a different building," she answered vaguely. Alisha didn't want to talk about her home life, not after being abandoned twice.

"Are you staying for dinner?" Emily asked. They had made it to the door numbered 409. Simon pulled out a set of keys and unlocked the door. He twisted the handle and the door opened. "If Simon will let me." The response was so unexpected Simon dropped the keys and looked at her.

"Of course you can stay," Emily replied, disregarding her brother's reaction. Emily pushed past Simon. "Come on, I'll show you my room." Alisha glanced back at Simon as the 12-year-old led her away. She expected to see him staring at her but he wasn't. He was closing the front door and relocking it, totally unconcerned with her in his home. Emily led Alisha up a small flight of stairs and down a small corridor to her room.

**~Superhoodie~**

Franky Martinez was not a reasonable man and only cared about himself. This fact weighed heavily on me as we faced him. We followed him into one of the garages. It was bigger than it appeared on the outside. Franky's wooden desk was strategically placed in the back. It seemed a lot like Seth's office but downgraded. "You work in here all the time?" I asked. Franky went over to his desk and sat down. "Of course I do. Why, do you have a problem with that?" he asked, ceasing his eyes. "No. It just doesn't seem safe for someone your age," I responded. The annoyance on Franky's face disappeared to reveal a look of question. "Why are you here?" Franky asked. I was taken aback by the fact he was staring at me and not Adam, someone he'd known much longer than me. "We need to get Seth back. Samuel has given us three days to get 750 grand from a bank," Adam explained for me. "What do you mean _'get him back'_? Was he taken?" Franky asked. "Yeah," I responded, trying to make up for my initial hesitation, "I saw these three guys grab him in our flat. He told me to let them take him." "If I'm recalling correctly he said _'hide' _and you didn't even bother helping him." "In any case," Franky started, "Seth is gone and you're without a leader." "So what should we do?" I asked nervously. "Come work for me I'll pay you twice as much as Seth ever did," Franky said. Adam scoffed, "With what bags of crisps? I would never betray my cousin like that! You know what? You can take that offer and shove it." Adam stormed out of the garage and pulled the door down behind him. I started after him. "I've never trusted that boy," I heard Franky say. "Why's that?" I stopped in front of the door, but didn't turn to face him. "Thinks more about himself than others," he answered. "Your record doesn't exactly say much different," I answered. "Records and rumors coincide unless you personally know the person. Now look at me boy," he commanded. I turned to the aging soul behind me. He stared back through emotionless dull green eyes. "I'm not a bad guy," he said softly. He searched my eyes for understanding. I looked down and nodded. I had no reason to trust nor distrust this man. There was a moment of silence between us.

Franky stood from his desk, "Right, well you two can stay here for the night and start back in the morning," he said. "Here?" "Well not in here, but I have a garage you two can stay in," Franky replied. Franky walked to the door and lifted it. I stepped out into the night air. I could see Adam leaning against his old grey car in a distance. I was sort of surprised he didn't leave me behind. He turned away from us as we approached to unlock the car door. "Franky says we can stay here for the night," I told Adam. Adam glared at Franky, "We're leaving," he said indignantly. "Adam please…" I muttered with a roll of my eyes. He was being so immature. He was always so immature and I was growing impatient. "Simon get in the car," Adam snapped. I turned to Franky, "Do you have a car?" He nodded, "But it won't go near Wertham until 10:30 tomorrow morning." I nodded, "I'll wait." "Come on then, I'll show you where you can sleep." Franky led me to garage #12 and lifted the door. The room was small, dark, and damp but it was something. "Thanks," I said looking around.

All of a sudden I was on the floor. I rolled over on my back and saw Adam standing over me. Suddenly I felt something for someone that I hadn't felt in such a long time-anger. I got up and pushed Adam. He fell to the floor as I shouted, "Quit it! Can't you talk to someone for once without taking your anger out on them? Why do you have to be such a wanker?!" At a loss for words I went to the garage door and shut it behind me. Franky was no where to be seen outside. The car was still parked a small distance away. That was promising; at least he hadn't robbed us. I knew nothing of Essex so I had no idea where Franky would go. On a whim, I decided to go east-towards the entrance of the lot. More than likely Franky didn't have another garage and I wouldn't find him just wandering about the car park. As I passed the entrance sign I decided to go left on the forked road.

My apprehension began to increase as the storage lot left my sight. What if I got lost? I know it's an odd fear for someone with my history to have, but I wasn't used to being alone anymore. It was always me and Alisha or me and Seth. Anyways, I continued down the road until I heard someone shout an "Oi!" behind me. I turned and was surprised to see two men only a foot away from me. I hadn't heard them approaching and usually I hear everything. "What is it?" I asked. I didn't bother asking for their names. I doubted they'd give them to me even if I did. "What are you doing here?" one of them asked, "This is our territory, our road. What are you doing on it?" "There a gang," I thought. "I'm not looking for trouble," I started. "To bad," the other responded, "Because you just found it." As quick as lightning I was nearly nose-to-nose with one of the men. "He has a power," I thought as I prepared myself for the fight.

My assailant attempted to punch me but I was ready and moved my head just in the nick of time. I slammed my fist into his jaw and with my other hand grabbed his fist as it came flying back towards my face. Suddenly my attacker went pale and snatched his hand away from mine to grab at his neck. His eyes were wide with a mix of shock and pain as he reached out for me with one hand. I stepped away and only then did I see his problem. The golden chain that was around his neck was burrowing into his neck while the other end hung ominously in the air. Blood seeped from the wound and stained his dark colored hoodie. He let out a desperate gasp then a gurgle before going limp. His body was supported for a few seconds by the chain that was still in the air before the chain fell to the ground, taking the body with it.

"Evan?" The other mysterious figure took a step towards his friend then with a glance at me fled the scene. I looked down at the body of the man; just moments ago he had tried to mug me. What the hell happened? "You know a little _'thank you'_ will suffice." "Franky?" I called out, "Where are you?" "Where am I?" he asked, "That guy probably just went to get a group of his to start kicking your ass after what just happened and you're wondering where I am?" "But I didn't do that," I replied defensively. "I know you didn't because _I _did," Franky stepped out of the shadows. "But how did you…." My voice trailed as the answer came to my mind. "Metal manipulation?" I asked slightly impressed. He nodded, "Finally looks like Seth's got himself a decent assistant." "What about Adam?" "He's just out to please his cousin. You on the other hand have potential," he went on, "It's been a while since I've seen someone like you, but your only setback is that you care, you legitimately care about people. While so many blokes are looking out for their own skins while lying, cheating, leaving girls with newborns out in the cold, but you're different." "Is being different such a bad thing?" I inquired. Franky paused then responded, "No you're trustworthy, reliable, and I like that about you," he said, "Which is why I'm willing to help you." "How?" Franky began to walk towards me, "I'll give you a choice. I've been watching you. I know all about you and your girlfriend." An icy feeling ran up my spine. "And I know you're not in your time."

"How do you know that?" I demanded. "I was a dirty cop," he started, "Every day I pledged my loyalty to the law and protecting the Wertham people but at night I was no better than the rest of you. Seth was one of the biggest dealers at the time. Every cop suspected him but no one could prove it and it was all my fault. I always covered Seth's backside when the other coppers were on a hot trail. I was the one who led them in the wrong direction, but one day a CCTV camera caught one of the known buyers near my place. My friends, my colleagues, people I saw everyday were all over my house in a matter of hours." "Did they find anything?" I asked. "I knew they were coming so I flushed my whole inventory, at least I thought. It was such a small amount but it didn't matter. I was stripped of my badge and demoted to the lesser exciting, lower paying duties such as appointed probation workers. "You appointed out probation workers?" I asked. He nodded, "Yeah and you and your mates are lucky I was put in charge of reviewing the security footage during the investigation of the disappearance of your probation workers. I saw what happened." "It wasn't our fault, none of the-" Franky raised a hand to silence me, "I know which is why I altered the tape. You're an okay bunch, at least." "That still doesn't explain how you know about me and my girlfriend," I said. "Seth told me," he answered, "Since that day there are little secrets between us."

The crack of a twig snapping in two brought us out of our conversation. "Let's get out of here," Franky whispered. I nodded. Instead of Franky going back the way we came, he started up the road. I went after him. "Aren't you going back?" I asked, "Adam's there alone you know." "I'm not worried about him. Why should I be? Besides we have more important things to attend to tonight."

**~Alisha~**

Emily opened the door and revealed a room that would be any twelve-year-old's dream. The colours blue, purple, and pink covered the room from the light pink desk and walls to her purple bed spread and fluffy blue carpet. Emily went over to a chair rolled up to the desk and sat down. "Come sit, do you like me room?" she asked pleasantly, "Yeah. I love it. It's really nice," Alisha answered. Alisha went over to Emily's bed and sat down on the bedspread. Seeing Emily sitting there in front of her took Alisha back in time. Back to the good ole' days when her parents still thought she was an angel sent down from the Gods. An angel that could do not wrong, an angel they would never dream of abandoning. She sat on her bed cross-legged and in her primary uniform chattering away to her mother about her day. Those were the memories that would always be forever untainted by the uncountable mistakes she'd made in her life.

"Why are you crying?" The question brought her back to the present. Emily was staring at her with concern. "Are you alright?" she asked. Alisha wiped away the tears that had collected on her face. "Fine," she answered on an uneven voice then cleared her throat. "No one cries when they are fine," Emily pointed out, "What's wrong?" Alisha didn't feel it would be appropriate to tell her the true depth of her troubles. She was only 12. She wouldn't understand. "If you're having problems you should tell someone. It'll make you feel better," Emily said, "Don't worry I can keep secrets. I've always been able to keep loads of secrets. Like I know you fancy my brother."

Alisha felt her stomach tie into a knot, but she forced a smile. Emily was giving her a mischievous look, knowing she had unnerved her. "What makes you think I fancy him?" Alisha asked, trying to make it seem impossible. "The way you look at him. You look at him the same way my mum used to look at my dad all the time," Emily said. Alisha furrowed her brows, a trait she had unwittingly picked up from Simon. "Can we just keep that between us?" she asked, "Just for now."

**~Emily~**

Emily smiled. Emily had always thought her brother was a hopeless case. He never did anything exciting or said anything worth wild. When they did things as a family she would sometimes have to play the role of the older sibling and introduce him to new people. The day her brother lit the neighbor's house on fire she'd been away on an over-night school trip. She'd thought her parents were lying when they had phoned her, or at least the police had gotten the wrong person. But when they told her he had put it out in fear that he might kill the cat she knew it had to be her brother. Simon would never purposely hurt anything. He had thought no one was home and he was angry. Emily loved that about her brother because it was the only trait about him she could never find a flaw with. It was his crippling shyness she couldn't stand. She had always wanted a normal big brother. Which is why today when Simon brought a girl home with him, a living, breathing, normal girl she knew it was her chance to finally get a normal older brother.

Alisha was an attractive girl. And she had to truly care about Simon if she was bothering to help him baby-sit because she was 12 and honestly she didn't really need a baby sitter. "So what do you do for fun?" Emily asked, to change the subject. Alisha shrugged, "I used to go out to a lot of parties." "So you don't do that anymore?" Emily questioned. Alisha shook her head, "I just…," she sighs, "I just don't want to be known as the party girl anymore." "Why not?" Emily sat down on the bed next to her, "I bet you had fun." "Well at the time I thought it was fun but now…" Her voice trailed as if she couldn't bring herself to complete the sentence.

Emily looked awkwardly away. She felt like her brother. She couldn't talk to people on an emotional level. She was always talking but she never really said anything, nothing important anyway. She could see her blue curtains shift out of the corner of her eye. Her window was jammed so it remained partially open. Her father had been promising to fix it since they'd move in over two months ago but he hadn't found the time yet, or he'd just forgotten. Maybe she should just ask Simon. He'd always been good at fixing things. "You okay?" Alisha tapped Emily's shoulder to bring her away from her thoughts. Emily expected to see annoyance in her eyes from her not paying attention, but then again Alisha hadn't been talking. Emily scratched her head and looked back at the window again. "You should give him a chance," she said. "Who?" Alisha looked at the window then back at Emily in confusion. Emily turned to her, "Simon. I know he's shy and you've probably got a dozen blokes wanting to be your boyfriend, but you should give Simon a chance. He's a good guy."

Suddenly the door opened and Simon poked his head in. "Are you two hungry?" he asked. "I want pizza," Emily exclaimed. Simon nodded at her then looked at Alisha. "Is that okay with you?" he asked her. Alisha smiled and nodded. Emily went after him. "Come on then," she called to Alisha.

Emily galloped down the stairs and into the kitchen. Simon had his back to her when she entered as he was washing his hands in the sink. He looked over his shoulder, "Wash your hands before you touch anything. Where's Alisha?" "I'm here!" Alisha walked down the steps at a normal pace. "Uh…great," Simon replied. He turned away quickly and turned off the tap. Emily went to the fridge and took out a half filled bag of string cheese. Simon took the tomato paste out of the cupboard and placed it on the counter top next to a bag of flour, eggs, and butter already there. Emily and Alisha watched as Simon cracked four eggs against the bowl and allowed the yolks to spill into the bowl. "My mum says it's healthier not to use the yolks," Alisha said. "Our mum says the same, but Simon can't do it properly." Alisha snorted, "Well it does take a bit of practice. Otherwise you just get the yolk all over your hands." Simon glanced nervously at Alisha then back down at the bowl, "I could try again if you like," he said. There was disappointment in his voice. Alisha laughed, "No you're alright Simon." "You trying too hard to please people again," Emily added sympathetically, "we're not going to get cross with you over little things like how you crack an egg." Simon only stared at the bowl as he listened to his sister. Emily studied Simon. "He's avoiding eye contact," she thought irritably. She might as well work with a brick wall here. Simon didn't have a confident bone in his body and she doubted he ever would. She grabbed the half-empty bag of string cheese off the counter. "I'm going to go get more cheese from the neighbor's," she said in an almost bitter tone.

**~Alisha~**

Alisha's eyes followed her as Emily went outside. "I'll be right back," Alisha said to Simon. He nodded and continued adding ingredients for the pizza dough. Alisha saw Emily was already halfway down the hall when she left the flat. "Emily!" she called out. The 12-year-old looked back at her and waited for Alisha to catch up with her. "I thought you were staying with Simon," Emily said. Alisha nodded, "I am. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You seemed kind of upset." Emily rolled her eyes, "I'm not upset," she insisted. "Yes you are, I can tell. You can talk to me you know," Alisha replied. "I've only just met you," Emily pointed out. "Is this about me and your brother?" she asked, "What you said-" "I'm sorry," Emily said quickly, "if you just want to be his friend I should respect that." Alisha's expression softened. "You must really care about Simon." "Well don't you?" Emily pressed. Alisha shut her eyes tightly for a moment. There were tears in her eyes when she opened them again. "It's complicated," she stated. "But I can help," Emily replied eagerly then more calmly continued, "if you want me to that is." "Why don't we just start with you going to get more cheese?" Alisha responded with a laugh. She knew the laugh must've sounded fake because it was. She couldn't remember the last time she had a real laugh. Emily nodded and continued down the hall. Alisha went back to the flat door. As she turned the door knob she looked at the little girl walking away. "Emily!" Alisha called out again. Emily looked over shoulder. "You're a lovely sister Emily," she said, "Simon's lucky to have you."

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><p><em><strong>A.N<strong>_**- This chapter is titled 'I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For' after the song by U2.**

**Sorry guys for not updating this story since December. I didn't forget about it. Expect the next update sometime next month. **


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 14

"_Love Like Woe"_

**~Alisha~**

Alisha walked back to Simon's flat slowly. Emily's footsteps were a fading echo as she went in the opposite direction. Alisha hadn't asked her which neighbor she was going to or when she'd be back. Now she thought she should've to avoid a questioning Simon. She opened the door and closed it quietly behind her. She swallowed. She could hear Simon in the kitchen clamoring away with pots and pans. "What's he doing?" she thought. It didn't take that much noise to make a pizza even if you did make the dough yourself. She approached the kitchen to find Simon placing cookie dough on a cookie sheet. "You're supposed to be making pizza not cookies," she laughed. He gave her a half smile that made her heart flutter. "I thought we could eat them after," he said. He glanced behind her, "Where's Emily?" "She wanted to go get more string cheese remember?" He nodded then returned to taking the cookie dough out of a pack and placing sliced pieces of it onto a cookie sheet. "Let me help," she said.

He said nothing as she stood next to him and began to cut the dough into pieces. Alisha could see her hands were trembling as they sometimes did when she was near him. She stole a glance of him. He didn't notice. He was too busy with trying to keep each slice equal to the rest of the batch. It was OCD. Everything had to always be perfect. Nothing could ever be out of place.

She yanked her hand back and yelped. Blood began to seep from a small wound along her index finger. Simon put down his knife and examined her finger. "You need a plaster," he said, "come with me."

She followed him upstairs to the bathroom. He opened the medicine cabinet and pulled out a box of Band-Aids. "What's your favorite color?" he asked in an amused tone. "Blue," she answered. He took out a blue plaster and handed it to her. "You'd better do it," he said. He placed the box back in the cabinet, his blue eyes never meeting hers as he did so. "I'd better get back to the kitchen," he said.

Alisha looked down at the cut. It was still bleeding, but not as heavily anymore. She turned on the sink and made sure the water was good and hot before sticking her finger into the steaming water. The water ran through the loose skin, turning drops of water to a light red for a moment. After a full minute the stinging in her finger subsided. And she turned off the water. She put the plaster on and went into the hall. The hallway was dim. The only light source came from a room at the edge of the hall. Guessing it was probably Simon she walked to the room and peered inside. The room was empty. The light came from the sun casting light through the window as it disappeared beneath the horizon.

She found the room belonged to a boy. The walls were painted dark blue with a planet and star tapestry on the wall. The tapestry matched the space themed bedspread covering the bed. The shelf above the bed was filled with action figures and what looked like collectables. She picked up one of the oddest items on the shelf, compared to some of the other things it just seemed out of place. It was a blue police call box. She'd only seen one of these once in real life but that was when she was in primary and it hadn't even been a real one. It was a replica for an educational exhibit she'd seen in a museum.

**~Kelly~**

"I liked you better when you were off your head," Kelly said half irritably. She was glad to have Nathan back to normal but she'd forgotten how much of a twat he was, which is possibly why her mum had asked Kelly to tell Nathan to leave promptly after she had discovered the sweet boy she'd met a few days ago had gone. Nathan flopped down on his mattress in his loft. "Why don't you just admit you missed me?" he asked Kelly with a smug look on his face. She smiled but said nothing as she sat down on the make-shift bed next to him. "You know my mum might have let you stay if you weren't such a twat all the time," she remarked. "Oh let her have her opinion. I am the way I am and I like it that way," he said grinning at her. "Now how about you, me, and the gang go out for a pint to celebrate my recovery," he added. Kelly hated to turn down a pint of lager but she had already made plans with her mother for that night. "Sorry mate but I have some where to be," she responded regretfully, "You can try tracking down the others though." Disappointment filled Nathan's gaze as she left the loft but she just couldn't let down her mum, not after she'd put up with Nathan- head trauma or not.

**~Alisha~**

Alisha looked behind her as she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. Simon stood in the doorway watching her. "Do you have a little brother?" she asked. He shook his head. A mobile phone on the computer desk in the far corner began to vibrate. Simon went over and picked it up. His lips pulled into a grimace as he looked at the screen. "What is it?" Alisha asked. She walked up behind him and tried to get a glimpse of the phone's screen but Simon exited the message before she had a chance to see. "Let's just say Nathan's back to normal," he responded. "Oh gosh," she muttered with a roll of her eyes, "you okay?" "Yeah I'm fine," he said. She couldn't force him to tell her anything he didn't want to but it still hurt Simon wasn't able to tell her everything about himself. "So what do you like to do for fun?" she asked, trying to change the subject. Simon raised an eyebrow at her, "why do you care?" he asked defensively. "Because you are my friend," she responded.

**~Simon~**

"But…" his voice trailed as Alisha brought him to a loss of words. She had never acted this way before, at least not towards him. She'd always used words like 'freak' or 'weird' but never 'friend' to describe him. Maybe she's still upset about what happened in the storage cupboard. Simon became uneasy as he remembered the fateful moment he accidentally touched Alisha's arm. Maybe she's afraid of him and that's why she's being so nice. Simon looked at Alisha who was staring into his eyes. Being feared by someone was something he'd never experienced before. He usually either bored or angered people by his lack of want for an adventure outside of cyberspace especially his own father who would love to have a son interested in sports or his sister who would love to have a brother she could brag about. Simon sighed as he realized even if her interest wasn't legit Alisha was the only person in his life at the moment who was okay with him being himself. "We should probably get back to the kitchen," he said, finally breaking the silence between them. Alisha looked up at him with disappointment in her green eyes. "Do you not want me in here?" she asked. Simon couldn't help but chuckle as he noticed what she was holding. "That's called a Dalek," he said with a nod towards the little replica. She drew her eyebrows together in confusion and looked down at it. "What's a Dalek?" she asked. Simon took the little robot out of her hand. "Don't you watch _'Doctor Who'_?" he asked jokingly. He already knew the answer. Alisha wasn't much of a science nerd, at least he thought she wasn't. "No but I've heard about it though," she responded. "What did you hear?" he asked. "It's about some nutter in a box," she replied. Simon laughed, "Yeah that pretty much sums it up." She laughed with him.

"You should laugh more," said Simon after their laughter had subsided, "you always seem unhappy." "Why do you say that?" Simon could feel his awkwardness resurfacing within him. "I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to say you were always upset or anything-" "Simon, Simon it's okay," Alisha said smiling. She touched his shoulder which was covered by his shirt. "Calm down," she said, "your fine." He looked into her eyes in wonder then looked away. "We should get back to the kitchen."

**~Emily~**

Emily returned to her family's apartment to find everything eerily quiet. She walked into the kitchen to find Simon and Alisha silently slicing cookie dough. "Hey I though we were making pizza?" she asked. "We are-this is for after," Simon responded without turning around. Emily rolled her eyes and tossed the bag of shredded cheese onto the nearest counter. "I'm going to watch TV," she announced but neither Simon nor Alisha even flinched from what they were doing. She partly supposed it was a good thing but they weren't even talking to each other. She shook her head. Alisha said she would take care of it so Emily guessed she would have to trust her.

**~Curtis~**

'_Wanna go get a pint at the bar?'_ Usually any message Curtis received from Nathan he wouldn't bother reading it because he knew it would be filled with Nathan's nonsense but this time since he wasn't doing anything and wasn't exactly having a good day he read it and messaged back that he would go. The sun had almost completely set when he left his grandmother's flat. The sky was a mixture of lighter and darker shades of pink without not a cloud in sight, contradictory to the weatherman's prediction that it would rain all week. He burrowed his hands into the pockets of his black hoodie as he walked on, either way the November weather was getting pretty cold.

He entered the bar just as the sun gave up its reign for the day. "Hey Curtis, over here man!" Nathan shouted from across the room. The curly haired boy was sitting at the bar counter already chugging back a bottle of beer. Curtis sat down on the stool next to him. _"Here we go,"_ he thought as he prepared himself to take Nathan's shit once again. "So I've got a question for ya," Nathan informed him. "What is it?" Curtis asked even though disproval and boredom lingered heavily in his voice. Nathan took a long drink from the bottle then lowered it to the counter, "Why do you think Kelly's not into me?" "Is this a joke?" Curtis asked, raising his eyebrow. "No she told me she thinks of me as cousin," Nathan scoffed. "Oh that is so wrong," Curtis snickered, "there's no getting out of that." "I don't know how this happened," Nathan said, "I'm usually so good with women, you know, when I want them they know." Curtis rolled his eyes, "I've seen how you approach girls mate and I'm surprised you've ever gotten laid." "What?!" Nathan exclaimed, "What's wrong with my approach?" "It's all wrong. You have to be cool," Curtis explained then looked down the bar at the bartender.

The usual bartender, Terry, wasn't working today. In his place was a girl who looked about Curtis's age. She had dark hair cut short to touch her olive complexioned shoulders ever so slightly. She looked over the drink she was mixing in the blender and smiled at Curtis. "I'll be with you in second," she said in a thick Irish accent. Curtis smirked as he was taken by surprise by her accent. She didn't look very Irish to him. "Hey she's Irish like me," Nathan commented. "Well I doubt she's as annoying as you," he good-naturedly sneered back. The girl walked over to them after serving drinks to a couple. "Now what can I do for you two?" she asked. "A vodka tonic," Curtis said. "A vodka tonic?" the girl question suspiciously. "Yeah what's wrong with that? Curtis inquired. "Oh nothing," she responded then grinned, "you just don't seem like the guy to order a vodka tonic." Curtis felt his face grow hot as Nathan laughed. "Oh shut up," Curtis whispered to him. "Well you were the one who said I needed help in the lady department but it looks like you're the one who's lost," Nathan countered in a louder voice. "Oh shut up you prick," Curtis scoffed louder. The girl soon returned with Curtis's drink

"So do you have a name?" The bar maid asked. Curtis licked his lips, "It's Curtis. What's yours?" "Miss?" A ginger haired guy wearing a baseball cap had been waiting patiently for the pair to end their conversation but his mates were getting impatient as they waited for him to bring their drinks. "Sorry I'm coming," she said. She turned to Curtis, "It's Nikki." "Sorry Davie," Nikki said as she approached her next customer, "What can I get ya?"

**~Superhoodie~**

A half moon reached its high point in the sky as Franky and I made it to a harbor. The deep blue ocean rocked gently in the night wind as I placed my hands on the railing and allowed it to blow my hair out of place. Franky stood next to me looking off into a distance with a content look in his eyes. "I love nights like these," he said, "so peaceful." I nodded in agreement. I hated living in Wertham. I wish Alisha and I would've had the chance to leave for good. "You're probably wondering why you're here," Franky went on, "You see I'm also in need of money. I wanted to move my office out of that bloody garage for a while now. The way I see it is we could help each other. I give you the powers you need so you can get the money you need and I need."

"What are you asking me to do?" I asked, anxiety creeping along my spine threatening to overcome me. "There's a bank not far from here. You get inside and get into the bank vault. That's where they keep all the money. It's on the first floor in the main office," Franky explained. It only took me a matter of seconds to figure in the fault with this plan: I no longer have my invisibility power and there are probably going to be guards everywhere. I'd be seen instantly. "How do you expect me to get to the vault without my face getting rearranged by the security staff?" I inquired. A gleam of humor shined in Franky's eyes in the night light, "Have you heard of mind control?" I frowned in perplexity. I used metal manipulation to protect Alisha but to control someone's mind that seemed too dangerous. I pinned my lips together as Franky questioned me again. "You handled that other power really well so are you in?" "That's only because I had time to practice with it," I thought but dismissed it as Franky grabbed my right hand. A glowing light immediately emitted from the cracks between our fingers. I swallowed. What if something went terribly wrong? It could jeopardize my present self's time with Alisha. If she saw me she'd never fall in love with my present self.

**~Alisha~**

After dinner Emily went into her room to select a film to watch with Simon and Alisha. Alisha sat down on the couch in the den and turned on her phone. She checked her inbox and found that she had a message from Nathan and Curtis. Knowing Nathan it would probably be something vulgar as whatever he had text Simon, but she was in such a good mood from spending time with Simon so she chose to read it anyways. _'Anyone up for a drink?'_ It simply read. Her phone had been sent the message around 6:30, around the time Simon had received his message. Funny…she wondered what Nathan had text Simon that had upset him. Nathan was always saying horrible things to Simon. Poor Simon, if only he could stand up for himself. She looked up as Simon sat down next to her on the couch. "Emily wants to know would you like to watch 'The Lion King'?" he informed her. "Of course," Alisha replied, "I absolutely love Simba." Simon smiled and went to inform his sister. He seemed a lot more relaxed than he did earlier, Alisha couldn't help noticing. She turned her attention back to her phone and opened Curtis's message. _'Going to the bar with Nathan.'_ "What?" Alisha voiced in astonishment. "What's wrong?" Simon asked in a worried tone as he and Emily entered the room. "Curtis has gone out with Nathan to have a drink," Alisha explained. "But Curtis hates Nathan," Simon chuckled. Alisha shrugged. "I guess we'll see how it worked out tomorrow." "Whose Curtis and Nathan?" Emily questioned. "A couple of mates," Alisha answered. "Nathan's your mate?" Simon laughed. Alisha scoffed, "I don't like him but he is a part of our group." Simon nodded as he took a DVD out of Emily's hand. He went and placed the disk in the DVD player and pushed the play button then turned off the only lamp in the room before sitting down on the couch next to Alisha.

**~Curtis~**

Curtis left Nathan chugging down his fifth drink to walk Nikki home at the end of her shift. The street lights and the glimmer of starlight overhead were the only sources of light that guided their paths as they walked along.

"So you're from Ireland. What brings you to Wertham?" Curtis asked. "I just wanted a change of scenery. My mum and dad moved to a small village up there when I was 5. It's just so safe there. I want an adventure," she laughed, "Well what about you? Why are you in a place like this?" Curtis grimace. "My mum and dad died in a car accident in London when I was 9. I've been living here with my Gran since," Curtis explained. "Oh Curtis I'm so sorry," Nikki replied sympathetically. "It's okay; I don't really remember much about them. My Gran is pretty much all I know now. But she's been so disappointed in me lately," Curtis replied. "Is it about your community service?" Nikki asked. "How did you…" "Nathan told me," she responded. "The prick," he said with a roll of his eyes. Nikki smiled, "Don't be so hard on him. Everything will get better I promise." They walked up the steps of a building to the second floor where they stopped in front one of the flat doors. "This is me," she told Curtis. Curtis nodded, "So will I see you tomorrow?" he asked. "I don't know are you feeling lucky?"

**~Alisha~ **

Alisha fell asleep during the movie. She didn't know when she had fallen asleep, but she did know when she opened her eyes she found herself laying on someone's chest. She looked up and to her surprise it was Simon. He was still asleep. On further inspection she found that Simon's arms were wrapped around the clothed part of her body. Her power obviously hadn't caused it so this had to be Simon's own doing. A blue screen showed on the television. Emily was gone. "Probably in her room," Alisha guessed in thought. "Hopefully she stays there," she added as she snuggled into Simon's chest.

* * *

><p><em><strong>A.N.- <strong>_**Guys I'm really sorry I haven't uploaded in such a long time and I won't make any promises regarding my stories anymore when I'm not sure if I'll be able to keep them.**

**This chapter is titled 'Love Like Woe' after the song by The Ready Set. **

**Nikki is played by Ruth Negga. It is said by Robert in a Misfits interview that she truely has a thick Irish accent although it is not heard in the show. **


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 15

"_Collide"_

**~Superhoodie~**

"What are you asking me to do?" I asked, anxiety creeped along my spine threatening to overcome me. "There's a bank not far from here. You get inside and get into the bank vault. That's where they keep all the money. It's on the second floor," Franky explained. It only took me a matter of seconds to figure in the problem with this plan: I no longer have my invisibility power and there are probably cameras every where. I'd be seen instantly. "How do you expect me to get to the vault without my face getting plastered all over the news?" I inquired. A gleam of humor shined in Franky's eyes in the night light, "Have you ever heard of mind control?" I frowned in perplexity. I used metal manipulation to protect Alisha but to control someone's thoughts that seemed too dangerous. I pinned my lips together as Franky questioned me again. "You handled that other power really well so are you in?" "That's only because I had time to practice with it," I thought but I couldn't turn him down. He knows who I really am. He knows about Alisha. My backs kind of against a wall here. I have to do as he says. "Okay," I said finally, "I'll do it."

I knew the sun would begin to rise around 8:00 and it was now 4:20. I had less than 4 hours to get this done. I had to do this to save Seth.

I waited by the gate, studying the 2 guards who guarded the entrance of the bank. Franky had parted with me about a mile back and was waiting to see how I did. I still had not tried out my new power so I had no way of knowing if I could use it at all. While I had mastered metal manipulation in a matter of days it had taken me weeks to control my invisibility.

I let out a shaky sigh. If I blew this everything I had been working towards with Alisha would be in vain and what about Seth? He'd die and Adam and maybe even Franky would come after me and Alisha. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if she died because of me.

I could tell one of the guards was older than the other because the taller one had graying brown hair while the other, a short guy with short black hair, had a youthful look about him. I chose the older guard to try my new power on because, being the older one, he probably had superiority over the other. I focused on him. "Maybe you should suggest the little guy to take a beak," I thought. I stared at the man but he made no notion he had heard me. I sighed. "I have to do this," I reminded myself. I began to stare at the man again but this time before I tried to control him I shut my eyes. "He needs a break," I thought, "He's been standing here with me for a pretty long time he must need to sit down by now." I paused then opened my eyes. To my amazement the older guard was now talking to the younger one. But I still held my breath in anticipation, this didn't mean that he was doing what I asked. It could be a casual conversation. The two men conversed for a few moments then the younger guard left his post, walking toward the car park. "No way is he leaving?!" I said aloud in a low voice. Sure enough a few minutes later the sound of a car in the distance. I waited until the little yellow car had disappeared down the road before I continued my mission with the remaining guard. "Maybe you should go and call home to make sure everything's okay." I thought. It was the first thing I could think of but his family was probably still in bed. Either way I decided to use this excuse to get him out of the way anyways. I shut my eyes again and willed him to phone home. Again I waited a moment then opened my eyes again. The guard was gone I frantically looked around and found him walking into a small building. I could see him through a large window. He turned on the lights then sat down at a desk and picked up the phone. "Here's my chance," I thought immediately.

I stood up then sprinted across the road. Once I was out in the open I crouched then continued past the little building the guard was in, to the gate. The black iron gate was locked of course. I'd need a key to open it. I looked up. It wasn't that far. I could climb over it. I took my mask out of my pocket and pulled it on. I then placed my feet on the horizontal bar of the gate and began to pull myself up.

I scaled up the gate and dropped on the other side. The entrance of the bank was well lit by a lamp post directly beside the entrance doors. I didn't doubt there had to be a security camera close so I decided the front door wasn't a very bright idea. I decided my best option would be sticking to the shadows. I walked close to the building, trying my best to keep out the light. On the left side of the building I found an open window. Probably left open by a temp or something. I suppose it doesn't matter. I lifted the window a bit farther and squeezed through. It was nearly pitch black inside. "I should've brought a flashlight," I thought. I was in an office.

I didn't dare try to find the light switch. That'd be a dead give-away. Instead I made my way toward the door of the office. I discovered the hallways faired no better with light as I opened the door. I found the vault in an office on the second floor just like Franky said. As I opened the vault door an alarm went off. _"If you become him you're going to leave me. You're going to travel back in time and you're going to die."_ "Alisha?" I called out. Suddenly I was hit on the back of the head by something in the darkness. I tasted blood in my mouth as everything went black.

**~Alisha~**

"Simon!" Alisha bolted upright in the darkness. She gasped for air as she wiped cold sweat from her brow. "It was just a dream," she muttered repetitively, only stopping when the ceiling light was flipped on. "Are you alright?" Simon stood in the doorway looking down at her in concern. She looked around. She was in Simon's room, in his bed. "I'm okay," she said. She looked at him, "Where are you sleeping?" "On the couch." "I didn't want to put you out of your room. I wasn't planning on spending the night." His eyes softened, "No you're fine. You're parents won't worry will they?" She sighed, "No." "Everything alright?" he asked. "Fine." "Are you sure?" he pressed. He walked to the bed and sat next to her. His blue eyes sent a chill through her as they stared into hers. "My parents left me a few weeks ago," she admitted. "They abandoned you," he mumbled. "I wouldn't call it abandonment," she responded. "They left you...I'm sorry," he said.

"I don't blame them," she admitted, "I didn't exactly make life easy for them." "That doesn't justify them leaving you," said Simon. She looked away from his ice-blue eyes. He was right. She couldn't justify what her parents had done. "Alisha it's too late for you to go home now. You should go back to sleep," he suggested. She refused to look at him all though she wanted to. She knew if she did, however, she would draw into him looking for comfort, forgetting this Simon wasn't hers. "What is it?" he asked. "It's nothing." He nodded and stood. "You look tired. Go back to sleep." He walked towards the door. "Wait." He stopped and turned to the girl in the bed. "I," she sighed, "I've been alone too much lately. Please stay with me Simon." "I'll stay with you," he said. He turned off the light. Alisha could feel the bed move as crawled up next to her. She laid down on the pillow in the dark until sleep overcame her.

**~Kelly~**

Kelly heated up some kettle corn and poured it into a bowl. Her brown and white pit-bull, Ronnie, was lying in his navy blue doggie bed in the living room. He wagged his tail and followed her to the couch. He whimpered. "Go on Ronnie," she said, "I already fed you." Her mother said she would hurry home as soon as her shift at the hospital was over but it was already 10:30. "Maybe she's on her way," Kelly hoped. She put a handful of kettle corn into her mouth.

11:20- Her mother still wasn't home and the movie they were supposed to watch together had already started. Kelly sat with the half-empty bowl of kettle corn fuming. "You better be home soon," she thought.

**~Curtis~**

Curtis got home around 11:20. He was supposed to have been home at 11:00. He knew his gran would probably go mental on him for being late. He unlocked the front door and opened it. He expected it to be pitch black inside because his gran always turned off every light in the flat before going to bed but it wasn't pitch black inside. The kitchen light was on. The living room and hallway lights were both off but there was the kitchen light, brighter than the morning sun.

"Gran?" Curtis called out. He walked into the kitchen and was horrified by what he saw. There was his gran lying face down on the floor. He ran to her side and gently turned her over. "Gran," Curtis said as she gently shook her then checked her neck for a pulse. Not finding one he began performing CPR.

**~Alisha~**

Alisha woke up the next morning to find Simon lying next to her sleeping. He had kept his promise and had not left her alone during the night. She noticed he was lying on top of the bed sheets instead of under them with her. Probably a smart idea in case they got too close to each other during the night. She sat up as she heard the bedroom door open, expecting to see Emily. She saw the strange man at the door staring at her. His alarmed eyes were as blue as cold fire as he quickly shut the door. "Simon," she muttered. "Simon!" the urgency in her voice woke him. "What?" he asked. "There was a man at your door." "What did he look like?" "He had dark hair and blue-really blue eyes...like yours," she answered. "That sounds like my dad but they shouldn't be home yet."

**~Simon~**

He pushed back the bed sheets and crawled out of bed. He opened the bedroom door and shut it behind him. He could hear his parents speaking as he went downstairs. "He wouldn't do that. You know him," his mother said in disbelief. "If you don't believe me go check for yourself, but I did see him in bed with a girl." Simon flinched as a hand touched his side. Emily looked up at him with curious blue eyes. "What's going on?" she asked. "Nothing you should go back to your room," he responded. "What are you two doing?" his father had appeared in the hallway. "Nothing," Simon replied. His mother appeared in the hallway entrance next to his father. "Simon is there a girl in your room?" his mother asked. He couldn't lie to her. "Yes," he responded. She let out a small gasp. "Alisha's in your room?" Emily asked, her thick brown eyebrows rising in surprise. Simon looked away awkwardly. "Nothing happened," he informed his parents. "Who is this Alisha?" his mother inquired. "Alisha Bailey. I met her in community service," he explained. "Alisha Bailey? I've heard that name," his father responded with a hint of disgust in his voice, "A few months back a man I work with, Robert, had the cops bringing his daughter home. She had been out with a couple of mates at a party. The friend that had been driving the car was drinking. That friend was Alisha Bailey." "But she-" Simon started. "I don't care Simon," his father said firmly, "I don't want you around that type of person. Tell her to leave." "But dad I-" "Now Simon." Simon nodded.

**~Alisha~**

"I think I should go," Alisha said when he returned to the room. "If this is about my parents-" "No Simon. I didn't have the right to stay here without your parents' permission and I'm not the kind of person your parents would ever want to see you with." Suddenly Simon grabbed her by the waist and pressed his lips against hers. Alisha pushed him away. "Are you mad?!" she snapped, "what if my power makes you rape me again?" "Alisha I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry." Alisha could see in his eyes the sincerity of his apology but she didn't know whether she could trust herself around him. It had taken every ounce of her willpower to pull herself out of the kiss.

"I need to go," she muttered to him. She turned and left the room. Downstairs she passed Emily, Mrs. Bellamy, and Mr. Bellamy without looking up once but she could feel them watching her leave.

**~Kelly~**

Clouds shrouded the sky as Kelly walked to the community center. Kelly walked with her arms crossed closely to her as the late Autumn breeze swept past her. Her mother hadn't showed up until late that night. No apology, no explanation, no nothing.

_1 hour earlier..._

Kelly awoke on the couch with an empty bowl next to her. The television blared on in front of her now featuring a home decorating show. She reached over to the coffee table and grabbed the remote and turned it off. "Mum?" she called out. She rubbed the reminisce of sleep from her eyes and went to look for her. "Mum?" she repeated as she opened the door of her mother's bedroom. From the doorway she could see her mother lying in the bed. Kelly sighed and shut the door.

_Back to the present..._

Her mother was always doing this- making promises she can't keep. Kelly opened the door to the community center. "Why am I getting all upset?" she thought, "I should've expected this." Kelly opened the door to the changing room and found herself alone.

She looked at her watch. Where was everyone?

**~Nathan~**

"And stay out!" Nathan hit the pavement with a groan. Andy turned and walked back into the bar. He slammed the door shut and promptly put the 'closed' sign on the door. Nathan laid on the pavement. His head ached terribly and he felt sick. It wasn't long before he began to doze off. He had spent the entire night awake in the bar, toasting to a party of one. Suddenly he took a boot to the back. "Get up." Nathan raised his head off the ground. His father stared down at him. "Get up," he repeated, "you worthless piece of shit." Nathan stared down at him for a few moments before passing out.

**~Curtis~**

Curtis sat in his gran's hospital room staring at her as she laid in the bed. A heart attack, if he had come home on time he would've been there when she fell. The cell phone in his pocket began to vibrate but he made no notion to pick it up. "I'm sorry gran," he thought, "this is all my fault. I should've been there. I'm sorry."

* * *

><p><em><strong>A.N-<strong>_** Hey guys Happy Thanksgiving & Hannukkah!**

**This chapter is titled 'Collide' after the song by Howie Day. **


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 16

_"What if?"_

**~Superhoodie~ **

I woke with my wrists tied behind my back in a dark room. I picked at the knots as I took in my surroundings. It was cold and there was a hint of metal in the air. "I'm inside the vault!" I suddenly realized in thought. It must have been the guard; he knocked me out and put me in here so he could call the cops. I began to pull at the ropes binding my wrists together more frantically. "I have to get out of here," I thought. The ropes snapped under the pressure of my pulling. I got to my knees. My head pounded in anguish. The bastard probably gave me a concussion. I got shakingly to my feet. The room was so dark I couldn't see a damn thing.

Suddenly I remembered I still had my cell phone. When I left my time I had brought it with me because after Alisha and I had gotten together I had continued my filming. I still have the videos from our trip to Vegas, where I told her 'I love you' for the first time.

I searched my pockets and found the phone in one of my back pockets. I took it out, turned it on, and shined the light around the room. I was indeed in the vault and once you're locked inside a vault there was no way out. I had to devise a plan before the guard returned.

**~Curtis~**

Curtis opened his eyes when he felt a hand shake him. Simon looked down at him with an anxious look on her face. "Are you alright?" he asked. Curtis looked past him and saw Kelly and Alisha. "How did you know I was here?" he asked. "My mum is a nurse here," Simon explained. "You weren't answering your phone so we came to see you," Kelly put in. "I'm okay...I think," Curtis glanced hesitantly at his grandmother lying in the hospital bed. "Has the doctor been back yet?" he asked Simon. "We just got here," he responded. "How'd you even get in here? It's family only," Curtis said. "This is Wertham mate," Kelly said, "You should know by now security's proper shite around here."

**~Superhoodie~**

When planning to rob a bank always remember to bring a bag. I stuffed the money I needed into the inside of my suit's padding and lay in wait for the guard to return. It wasn't long before I heard the vault door open. "He's in here," I heard a male voice say. I had to do this quickly. I can't let them see my face. As torch light tore through the darkness I stayed in my crouched position near the door until the guard and two cops were inside then I slipped out.

**~Alisha~**

_1 hour earlier..._

Alisha ran back to her parents' flat as fast as she could. She pulled the door shut behind her and slid down to the floor. Silence spread around the room, only broken by her sobbing. The morning sun caste light through the window and onto the floor next to her. "When had I become so damn weak?" she wondered in thought. Only 2 months ago she hadn't cared about anyone really, Curtis of course, but that was all. But only a few weeks later she now sat sobbing on the floor longing for her mother's comforting words which had annoyed her so much not long ago. This was all her fault. She'd driven everyone away.

_Back to the present..._

Alisha sat quietly in the chair next to Curtis. Kelly was sitting at her other side and Simon had decided to sit on the floor in front of Alisha. He hadn't spoken a word passed 'hello' to her. She caught a glance from him as he spoke to Curtis but that was all. She couldn't just sit here and think nothing was wrong. "Curtis?" she turned to him. "I hope your grandmother feels better but I need to go." Without waiting for a response she left the hospital room.

She was halfway to the lift before she felt a hand on her arm. "You know this is wrong of you," Kelly said, but there was no hint of anger on her face. Alisha nodded. "What is so important you have to leave Curtis like that?" she asked. Alisha didn't know what to say. She couldn't tell Kelly about future Simon. It would mess up the balance of time, or some shit like that. "I slept at Simon's last night," she admitted. Confusion swept over Kelly's face. "Did you..." "No! I was helping him baby-sit his sister and I fell asleep," she explained. Kelly paused as if she were pondering Alisha's words on their credibility. Finally she asked, "Do you fancy him?" Alisha looked away, an answer within itself. "Since when?" Alisha shrugged, "The Halloween party I guess." She recalled in thought the night she had saved Simon's life. "Have you told him?" "No but I...I think he fancies me. He kissed me earlier," Alisha informed her, "but his parents hate me." "How do you know?" She told Kelly about over-hearing, from outside Simon's room, the conversation between Simon and his family. "Now he won't even look at me," she finished, "what do I do?" "If Simon wants to be with you he'll come to his senses," Kelly said, "Now do you want to go back in?"

"Actually shouldn't we be getting back to community service?" To avoid community service Kelly, Alisha, and Simon had promised they stay later than usual the following evening and the next day to help set up for a benefit social that would be held at the community centre in three days. "Yeah. I guess you're right," Kelly replied, "I'll go get Simon."

**~Nathan~**

Nathan woke as icy water hit his face. His eyes flung open and he scrambled to his feet. His curly hair drenched his clothing as he looked up. His father stood over him. "Get up Nathan," he said. His headache mostly subsided, he obeyed. He was home-not his loft in the community centre but his mother's. "Why are you here?" Nathan asked, looking down at the puddle of water now on the kitchen floor. "Your mother phoned me," his father said, "she has something important to tell you when she gets home." He paused when he noticed Nathan wasn't paying attention to a word he was saying. He was continuously plucking at his wet shirt and watching it restick to his skin. Mr. Young shoved his son. Nathan stumbled. "Hey what'd you do that for? I heard you. Mum needs to talk to me." Mr. Young rolled his eyes, "Clean yourself up."

**~Simon~**

Simon trailed behind the two girls as they chatted quietly with each other. He was too deep in thought to even begin to decipher the words on their lips. His father had forbidden him from seeing Alisha outside of community service. But isn't that what he was doing now? If his father found out would he forgive him? Alisha was collateral for helping someone and his father had taught him when he was small that helping people was the right thing to do.

**~Kelly~ **

"Simon?" Kelly called out to him but received no response. "Is he alright?" Kelly asked. "I don't know," Alisha muttered. Kelly stared at her for a moment then grabbed her wrist. "What are you doing?" Alisha asked a mixture of shock and disbelief within her voice. She struggled in Kelly's grip as she pulled her towards Simon. "Simon!" Kelly repeated as they stopped in front of him. "What?" he inquired. "You two," Kelly said, "need to work out whatever is going on between you. But until then no community service." "You can't do that," Alisha said with a roll of her eyes. "I can make an excuse. He doesn't really care anyways, as long as he gets paid."

**~Simon~**

Alisha and Simon walked aimlessly around the estate for an 1/2 hour. There was an awkward silence between them that seemed unbreakable. Simon looked at her. She was staring into the shop windows as they passed by. "She's waiting or me to say something but I don't know what to say," he thought. Suddenly Alisha gasped and approached one of the shop windows. Simon could see four cocker spaniel puppies pawing at Alisha through the window. He walked up to her. "I didn't know you liked dogs," he said. "I was never allowed to have one," she replied, watching the puppies with a soft smile on her face. "Can't you get one now?" The smile on her face disappeared. "I'd like to think they would come back soon," she muttered. He could see the pain in her eyes. "Come on," he said with a small tug of her sleeve. She nodded and followed him. Behind them Alisha could hear the muffled whines of the pups as she left them behind.

**~Superhoodie~**

I took the stairs and got out of the bank through a window on the 1st floor. A police car sat in the gate entrance, blocking my quick exit to get back to Franky. I'd have to climb over the back fence and find a way to circle around. I didn't know the area and it didn't help that it was still dark. I climbed over the back gate. My shoes crunched dead leaves as I jumped down. "Great," I thought, "even the leaves are trying to give me away." I jogged off quickly before anyone spotted me.

**~Shaun~**

"Oi! Where have you lot been?" The probation worker, Shaun Parkinson, eyed Kelly as she returned to the community centre. "And where the hell are the others?" "Curtis is still with his grandmother, I don't know where Nathan is, and Simon and Alisha volunteered to pick up litter around the hospital so they could stay near Curtis," Kelly explained. "You're not allowed to do assignments without my permission," Shaun said in an annoyed tone, "you have to clear stuff like that with me first." "I'll tell them when they get back," Kelly responded. He looked at her suspiciously then shook his head and walked off.

Shaun went into his office and shut the door behind him. He'd left the little TV sitting on the corner of his desk turned on. It featured some kiddie programme about sheep. He picked up the remote and began flipping through the channels but there was nothing on. He switched it to the BBC news and began thumbing through a magazine as he listened to it. "Our top story today: early this morning the Manchester bank was robbed. Officials say the suspect made off with 1 million pounds. The suspect is a caucasian male, medium-build, and between the ages of 16-30."

Shaun looked up from his magazine at the blurred CCTV image on the screen. The guy was climbing over a fence. He was wearing all black and his face was covered by a mask. "No one I know," he thought and returned his attention to his magazine.

**~Simon~**

After leaving the pet shop the mood between them softened a bit. "Your sister looks a lot like you," she said finally. Simon laughed, "I know. My parents have pictures from when they brought us home from the hospital. We look identical in those pictures." "I wish I had a sibling," Alisha responded, "I had a cousin though, Ellie. We were the same age and we looked a lot alike. We did everything together." "What happened to her?" Simon asked softly. "She died…car accident, she was only fourteen." Alisha stuffed her hands into her blue coat's pockets. "I'm sorry," Simon muttered. "Nothing to be sorry about, things happen." They were silent for a moment then Alisha touched the necklace around her neck, a flying bird. It held so many memories. "This was hers. She gave it to me. I gave her a necklace in return." Simon clenched his jaw, not knowing how to respond. "At least you have something to remember her by," he said after a moment of thought. "I suppose so." "So do you like necklaces?" he asked, trying to lighten the mood. "Yeah I guess," she replied without much interest. Suddenly she stopped. "Can we go to my parents' flat?" she asked, "there's something I need to find."

As Alisha unlocked the door of her home Simon noticed how strangely desolate the area was. There were eviction notices on several doors in the hall. They just seemed out-of-place since Alisha was from a well-off family, at least that's how she'd painted her family to be.

Simon walked into the room and found it was a simple, ordinary living area. He followed Alisha down a small corridor. She opened the last door on the right. He walked in to find Alisha rummaging through a bureau drawer. "What are you looking for?" he asked. "My necklace-the other one," she said, as if he knew which one she was talking about. "What does it look like?" he questioned. "It's a white heart," she answered as she sifted through clutter on top of a desk. "Why do you need it?" he asked as he began to look through papers on top of the bureau. "Alisha is very messy," he thought. "I want to make sure I still have it," she explained, "my mum gave it to me." He looked at her for a moment but she wouldn't meet his gaze.

He continued searching. He pulled open a drawer and immediately wished he hadn't. He shut the drawer quickly but Alisha had already seen what spooked him. "You sniffing my knickers now?" she smirked. "No I didn't mean to-" Alisha laughed at the stuttering, pale boy next to her. "It's okay Simon," she said after she thought he'd squirmed enough. Unable to find his voice Simon only nodded. She sighed, "What am I going to do with you? Why are you so shy?" He shrugged, "I-I've always been that way." She smiled softly and returned to her task.

**~Curtis~**

Curtis shut his eyes for only a moment and woke to a doctor shaking him awake. A blonde-haired green-eyed man stared down at him. Curtis's apprehension rose. "Is she…" he started but couldn't continue. The doctor walked away from him and picked up a clipboard. Curtis noticed with relief that his gran was still lying in the bed. "Will she be okay?" Curtis asked. The doctor's eyes were grim as his gaze returned to the clipboard for a moment then at Curtis again. "I'm afraid this is a hope for the best and prepare for the worst situation."

**~Simon~**

"Is this it?" Simon asked as he took a heart necklace from the bottom bureau drawer. "Yes, that's it! Thank you Simon." He smiled. "Do you want me to put it on you?" he asked. "Please." She took off her bird necklace as he approached her. Simon carefully placed the necklace around her neck. She touched the little heart. "Thank you," she repeated.

Simon was taken aback by what came next. Alisha put her arms around him and hugged him. With their long-sleeved clothing Alisha's power didn't affect him so he didn't hesitate to return the hug.

**~Nathan~**

Nathan turned off the television as his mum walked through the kitchen door. "Hi Nathan," his mother said as she sat two bags onto the floor. Jeremy walked through the door seconds later with one shopping bag in hand. "What's wrong Jeremy?" Nathan chided, "Too girly to carry two bags?" Jeremy only scoffed in response. "Nathan please don't start," his mother said in a begging tone. Nathan rolled his eyes and turned the TV back on as they put away food. "Did your father say anything to you?" Nathan's mother called out over the blare of the TV. "Said you wanted to talk to me," Nathan answered.

Mrs. Young finished her work in the kitchen. She went to the couch and sat next to her son. "Turn off the television Nathan," she said slowly. The look of pleading in her eyes made him immediately obey. Very little fazed his mother but at the moment the intensity of the desperation in her eyes worried him a little. "Mum what do you want to tell me?" Nathan noticed Jeremy was watching them but kept his distance as he leaned against the far wall. "Nathan," his mother started, "Jeremy and I are getting married."

* * *

><p><em><strong>A.N.- Shaun is played by Craig Parkinson.<strong>_

_**This chapter is titled 'What if' after the song by SafetySuit.**_


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 17

_"Shattered"_

**~Superhoodie~**

I tore through a branch full of dying leaves intent on blocking my path. The sun had risen a little ways above the horizon. The breeze was beginning to pick up, bringing a chill to the air. It had to have been around 7:00 by now. I couldn't circle back to meet Franky because I couldn't risk being caught by the coppers who were scouring the area. Here in the forest I was protected. Where as long as I was careful no one would ever think to look in the trees.

It was 7:45 when I finally made it back to the storage lot. I went to Franky's garage office but it was locked. "What if he doesn't know I came back?" My jaw clenched, we only had a few hours left before Seth's captures' deadline. I went back to the garage where I left Adam. I opened the garage and found him still sleeping. I sighed in exasperation, but then remembering how late we had arrived, I let him be.

The garage was surprisingly clean for a storage facility. It contained an old bookcase with a few disused books, a broken wooden chair, a table with one leg repaired with duct tape, and the green rug which Adam was sleeping on. I went over to the bookcase and picked up an old red book. I opened it to find the pages were water-damaged beyond reason. I wasn't really up to reading anyways.

"I suppose I should wake Adam," I thought. I walked over to the sleeping man on the floor. He had a red blanket strewn messily around his body. My nose twitched with disgust. He probably found that in here. Who knows what's on it! "Adam…Adam…Adam!" Patience wearing thin I gave him a small kick to the shoulder. I expected he'd bolt upright immediately and go into one of his tirades, but the man on the floor didn't move. "Adam it's morning!"

Finally I carefully pulled off the red blanket and dropped it so it wouldn't touch me. What I saw first underneath was not the sleeping man but the knife wound to his chest. Blood stained the green rug beneath him. The man wasn't sleeping, he was dead.

**~Alisha~**

Alisha woke up to find her room soaked in darkness. She had slept the day away. She sat up. She was alone….again. "Simon must've left while I was sleeping," she guessed in thought. Well she had expected him to leave. He wouldn't disobey his parents just for her.

She got out of bed. As her feet touched the floor she noticed the smell of food in the air, Shepard's pie to be exact. She opened the bedroom door and was immediately enveloped in the smell. She went into the kitchen. Simon was setting the kitchen table. He looked up as she walked in. "Hey," he greeted. "What is he doing?" she thought, then realized the answer was blaitingly obvious she asked aloud, "Um…why are you doing this? Your parents told you to stay away from me." Simon shrugged, "They'll understand." "But what if they don't?" She didn't want to drive a rift between Simon and his parents. "It doesn't matter," he responded with a shadow of confidence that reminded Alisha of his future self, "You need me more."

**~Superhoodie~**

I stared down at Adam's body. Who could have done this? The only person who knew we were here was Franky and he was with me almost all night. Could he have sent someone to kill us so he can have all the money? I know one thing for sure-I had to get out of here. I had to get the car keys. I hesitated. I remember handling corpses several times when I was with the gang but only once alone and even then I could barely muster the nerve to do it. I kneeled and carefully searched Adam's pockets. I quickly found the keys. I went to the garage door and opened it. As I pulled the door down a gun shot rang in my ears. I jumped as a bullet hit the pavement next to me. I looked around and saw no one.

Another bullet sounded and this time penetrated the pads on my left shoulder. Sniper-I guessed as I clenched my shoulder. I had to get to the car. I saw it on the edge of the car park. I bolted for it. Another bullet hit the pavement behind me. Then another, I focused on my target instead of the fact if I misstep for only a second I'd take a bullet to the head. My mask was handy but bullets weren't its forte. Finally I reached the car. I unlocked it, got in, and slammed the door behind me just as another bulled careened through the window. I put my head between my knees to protect my eyes as I started the car. I put the car in reverse then floored the accelerator. A bullet shattered the back windshield as I went through the front gates.

**~Alisha~**

They enjoyed their dinner and afterwards they cleared the table and washed the dishes together. "Are you heading home now?" Alisha asked after they had finished. "I can't leave you alone," Simon responded. His blue eyes were oddly firm, but she still had to question his judgment. "What about your family?" she asked. "Like I said," he replied, "You need me more." She paused, "Wanna go out for a drink?"

**~Kelly~**

Kelly finished sweeping the floors at the community centre and put away the broom in the broom cupboard. "Alisha you owe me big time," she thought. She had spent the last few hours sweeping the floors and picking up litter outside- a job that would have only taken two hours at most with the entire gang but instead had taken her four hours. So it wasn't just Alisha who owed her. Suddenly her phone began vibrating. She took it out of her pocket. "_Wanna go for a drink?" ~Alisha_ _"Sure. I'll be there after I get changed." ~Kelly_

**~Alisha~**

"Oh no, Kelly is still at community service. I hope at least Nathan showed up," Alisha said to Simon as they walked towards the bar on the estate. "Where was he today anyways?" Alisha shrugged. "I'll text him," he said as he pulled out his phone. "I don't get you two: he treats you like shit but you're still friends with him," she responded. "He doesn't mean it, it's just the way he is," Simon explained. "That doesn't give him the right to treat you the way he does. You should stand up for yourself more often," she said. He nodded, "I know." He put away his phone as he finished his message to Nathan.

**~Nathan~**

"What do you mean you're getting married?" Nathan questioned, jumping to his feet. "I mean Jeremy has asked me to marry him," his mother explained. "And you're just going to say _'yes'_?!" Nathan snapped. Jeremy stepped forward, "Now calm down son." "Son?!" Nathan exclaimed incredulously. "Nathan," his mum started, but he refused to listen. "I hope you're happy," he muttered, glaring at Jeremy as he left the house.

Nathan stormed off down the road. How dare she marry that twat? He was her son. She was supposed to think of him first. His thoughts were cut off by the buzzing of his phone. _"Come to the bar for a drink?" ~Simon_

**~Kelly~**

Kelly walked in to the bar and immediately saw Alisha and Simon sitting at the counter talking over a couple of beers. "Hey," she called out as she went over to them. "You two look proper cozy," she admired. Simon glanced at Alisha. Alisha shrugged, "we were waiting for you and Nathan." "That twat never showed up at the community centre," Kelly said angrily. "He text me that he was coming here," Simon informed her. "I'm sure he did. He always shows up when drinks or women are involved," Kelly responded with a sniff.

**~Everyone~**

"Did you miss me?" Nathan asked as he slumped down on a bar stool next to Kelly. "Where the heck have you been?" Kelly asked, hitting him on the head. "Hey stop hitting me!" "I have been stuck doing all the work all day," Kelly informed him. "Well what about those two?" Nathan asked, pointing at Simon and Alisha, "Barry what do you have to say for yourself?" "My name's not Barry," Simon replied. Nathan raised an eyebrow, "Then what is it then?" "It's Simon," Alisha responded with a roll of her eyes. "Really? Sorry man," Nathan patted him on the shoulder. "He's never going to remember my name," Simon thought. "So what are we celebrating?" Nathan asked. "Nothing, we just thought we all needed a night out," Alisha explained. "_'We all?'_ Where's Curtis?" Kelly asked. "I invited him but he hasn't text me back," Alisha said. "He must still be at the hospital," Simon guessed. "Do you think we should be there?" Alisha asked. She was speaking to all of them but her eyes were only on Simon. "He shouldn't be alone," Simon agreed with a nod. "I thought we were going to have a drink," Nathan said in exasperation. "We did, but you were late as usual," Kelly responded. Nathan scoffed in response.

**~Superhoodie~**

I drove to a small village outside Manchester. I have no idea where I am. I stopped at a small shop. I was just about to get out when I realized I was still wearing my suit. The mask lay on the seat next to me but I still wore the suit. I couldn't stop anywhere until I could find a place to take it off. I had the money I needed. I'm going to save Seth.

My stomach clenched in hunger as I drove on. I had to find more clothes. Funny that- Adam's dead, Seth is still missing, a sniper tried to kill me, and I'm worried about what I'm wearing. I smirked. Alisha's rubbing off on me. Clouds invaded the sky as I drove on. I had to make it back and fast.

**~Simon~**

A slow drizzle started as they walked to the hospital. They entered the hospital as the drizzle melted to a downpour. Alisha pulled off her jacket after they entered the lift. Having been soaked through, Kelly did the same. "What is with this weather man," Nathan asked Simon as he scratched his wet head. Simon shrugged, he wasn't fazed by the rain. He actually liked it. His mother was always scolding him for walking in the rain.

The doors opened and they stepped onto the floor of the Critical Care Unit. Kelly led the group while Simon kept in stride with Alisha, with Nathan lagging behind. Simon suddenly furrowed his brow. Something was wrong. As he approached Curtis's grandmother's room he saw what it was. The door stood wide open. "Curtis," he heard Kelly say, "Where is she?" Simon entered the room to find the hospital bed empty. Curtis sat on a small cot in the corner of the room. The look in his eyes answered Kelly's question before the words could be formed. She's gone.

**~Curtis~**

"Are you sure you're alright?" Alisha looked in to Curtis's eyes. They were as dark as the night sky. The rain, now pouring harder than before, cascaded down the glass hospital door in small streams. "I'll be fine, just go home," Curtis responded. There was a momentary glint of hurt in her eyes then it dissolved. "Okay," she said. She glanced back at him for a moment before exiting the hospital with the others. He watched them running for cover until they were out of sight. He sighed then exited the hospital and walked off in the opposite direction.

He was soaked to the bone when he finally reached the bar. He opened the door and found the bar nearly deserted. Only one ginger haired bloke sat at the counter tossing back a drink. Nikki stood behind the counter. She looked up at him as he walked in. "You look like a lost wet dog," she commented as he sat down on a stool at the counter, "Is every thing okay?" Curtis grinned, the same smile he had used on Alisha not so long ago. "Fine, I just wanted to see a pretty girl tonight."

**~Kelly~**

"Are you okay?" Kelly looked at Alisha worriedly. The frizzy haired girl's pace had slowed to the point she was nearly a foot behind the others. The wind was beginning to pick up as darkness and rain fell around them. She looked at Kelly as she caught up to them. "I'm fine," she replied, "It's just a headache." Alisha could see Simon's face in the light of the street lamps. His brows were furrowed, as they almost always were. "Your parents' flat is nearby. We can go there…if you want," Simon said. "How do you know-" "Nathan shut up!" Kelly snapped. "I was going to invite you over to mine," Kelly said to Alisha, "But you need to rest." "I'm fine, honest," Alisha responded, although Kelly had heard her coughing since they left the hospital.

"I'll take you," Simon offered. She looked at him. She was sick of beating around the bush with him, sick of waiting for the right time. Simon was ready now. She nodded, "I'd like that." Nathan looked at Alisha oddly. "You're going to let this guy walk you home?" he asked, "Shit hits the fan and you'll be better off with a brick." Don't say that!" Alisha snapped, "Simon can protect me." She looked at Simon, "I know he can."

**~Superhoodie~**

The sun had since faded and a clouded night had taken its place as I parked the car outside of Westminster Abbey. I didn't bother parking a mile away because they knew I was coming. I contemplated on whether or not to take my mask. I pulled out Franky's money. If anything went wrong at least this will give him a reason to help me. I opened the glove box and stashed the pounds inside. The rest remained in the chest plate of my suit. I got out of the car. I half expected to be blown away by a sniper but the night didn't sound anything out of the ordinary: cars driving in the distant, people chattering- their voices distant and their bodies out of my view.

I walked toward the gate slowly. I expected to see the same guy in the guard booth but it was a younger man. His eyes were locked to my masked ones as I approached. "We've been expecting you," he said. "_'We'_" I asked, "Are you talking about The Undertaker?" A grin appeared on his face, "He is known to some as The Undertaker so the country doesn't know the truth behind his activities." My eyes narrowed on him, "Who is he?" I demanded, "What's his real name?" "Harold Saxon."

**~Curtis~**

The only sound in the room was their breathing. The thunder and lightning had since disappeared. Curtis gazed upon the girl lying in bed next to him in the lamp light. "You know," he whispered, "I feel like we've met before." She smirks, "Well I can honestly say I've never had guy say that to me in bed." "I'm serious Nikki. I feel like I've seen you before," Curtis says, "look at me and say you don't feel the same." Nikki looked Curtis in the eyes for a long moment. Suddenly a flicker of recognition passed over her gaze. "Oh my gosh...I do know you."

* * *

><p><em><strong>A.N- <strong>_**This story is not labeled cross-over because The Master's role is minor and his storyline isn't consistant to his storyline in 'Doctor Who'. **

**This chapter is titled 'Shattered' after the song by Trading Yesterday. **


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 18

"_Kiss My Eyes & Lay Me To Sleep"_

**~Alisha~**

Running. She's always running. An inescapable mist stretched out before her. She could hear nothing over the beating of her own heart. A constant thumping, reminding her she was alive. She was not running towards death, but from it was a different matter. She gasped suddenly. Silence had befallen her chest. She fell to her knees, clenching her chest. Her face hit the concrete floor. As her gaze dimmed she could see a figure walking towards her. A man in a mask.

Alisha woke to her mouth tasting of bile. Her head pounded in anguish as she tried to sit up. Her body was cover in a thin layer of sweat beneath a blanket. The lights were off but she still knew she was in her room by the smell of her perfume in the air. Her room always smelled faintly of it. She tried to sit up, but found her body so weak she eventually surrendered to her weakened state and laid down. "Alisha?" Alisha shuddered in surprised at Simon's voice in the darkness. It sounded as if he were sitting at her desk. "Simon?" She heard him move towards her. His warm breath was suddenly near her ear. "How long was I asleep?" she asked. "You slept through the night. It's 10:00." "Community Service!" She tried to get up again, but this time Simon put his hand on her shoulder, "It's okay. We'll be setting up for a benefit social, but we're fine." She laid down again. He pulled up her blanket. "Can you turn on the lights?" she asked. "You need to rest," Simon objected. "Please." He paused then said, "Okay, but only for a minute."

**~Simon~**

Simon reached over and turned on the lamp. Light illuminated the room. He was closer to her than he thought. Her gaze lay unfalteringly on his. "Are you okay?" he asked. He looked at the long scar just above her right eyebrow. It probably would leave a permanent mark, but for now it made him cringe. He hadn't caught her in time. "What happened?" "You fainted," he answered, "How's you're head?" "I feel proper knackered," she said. His hand returned to her shoulder for a moment. "Get some rest," he said. He turned off the light and the room was again bathed in darkness.

**~Seth~**

A man of medium stature sat on a staircase watching him from a distance, an eerie look about his face. "What the hell are you staring at?" Seth demanded. The man smirked then stood and jumped over the railing of the staircase. "Well Seth, my boy, I was just thinking: 'What power would benefit me most for my ambitions.' I am the prime minister, you know?" Seth turned away from him as he approached. The man grabbed his chin and turned it to face him. "And I was wondering what power you should give me." Seth spat in the man's face, "I'm not giving you shit," he said. The man punched him then wiped his face with his sleeve, "Henry!"

An elderly man with a long white beard appeared at the top of the stairs. "Yes commander?" Henry questioned. "Have you had any dreams of that masked fellow?" Seth brought in a gasp of air, then glanced at his tormentor to make sure he hadn't heard. The man's eyes were fixated on the older gentleman. "Sorry sir," the old man said, "I haven't, but I can feel him getting closer. He'll be with us soon." "Excellent," the man responded with a cheerful clap of his hands.

Henry dipped his head and began to walk away. "Oh and Henry stop calling me _'commander'_." "Then what would you like for me to call you sir?" Henry asked. "_'The Master'_ has a better ring to it."

**~Kelly~**

As Kelly exited the locker room she heard the sound of Nathan at work on the vending machine again. She walked down the hall to find him shaking the vending machine vigorously. "Come on baby. Just a little more…" he was saying as she walked up to him. "We're supposed to be setting up for the benefit social." "Well I can't work without at least a KitKat," he answered. He shook the machine once more before it relinquished a Twix. Nathan eagerly took his prize. He opened it and took a bite. "So where's Barry?" he asked. "Well _Simon_," Kelly started with emphasis on Simon's name, "isn't coming. He text me. Alisha's sick so he's looking after her. Haven't heard anything from Curtis yet though." "Alisha's the frizzy haired girl right?" Nathan questioned as if it weren't obvious. Kelly nodded. "They shaggin'?" Kelly rolled her eyes, "No and even if they were why do you care?" "Hey! I know it might not seem like it but I care about my little Barry." "Simon!" "Whatever!"

**~Simon~**

Simon pulled out his phone as his phone began vibrating inside his picket. The screen read _'Incoming call from Dad'_. He hesitated. He couldn't ignore it, but he didn't think it would be wise to answer it either. He looked over at Alisha who was still sleeping. He didn't have to answer it, but what if he regretted it later. He looked down at the phone again. He loved his family. He didn't want to lose them. He answered the phone.

"Where the hell are you?" his father's booming voice filled his left ear. "I'm with Alisha," Simon admitted. "I told you to stay away from her," there was anger prevalent in his father's voice but he didn't raise it. Simon sighed, "I know….but she needs me," he looked at the girl in the bed, "she doesn't have anyone else." "Son, your heart is in the right place but with the wrong girl. Please come home." The sound of anger had been replaced by a note of desperation. Simon clenched his eyes shut for a moment then opened them again. He couldn't disobey his father. "I'll be home soon," Simon said.

**~Nikki~**

Her breath caught in her throat as she stared wide-eyed at him. His dark eyes lay unblinkingly on her, a mix of horror and confusion within them. How could they have forgotten each other? He and his mates had broken into her flat some weeks before. One of them had shit in her bed, how could she have forgotten that? But if she had, maybe everyone had.

"What are you thinking?" Curtis asked her. She shook her head, "I don't know. This doesn't make sense. How could we all have forgotten?" "Do you remember anything after we left that was out of the ordinary?" Curtis asked. She shrugged, "I don't know….," she gasped, "the earthquake."

**~Simon~**

Simon picked up an old picture frame on the mantle. He rubbed a light layer of dust off the glass with his fingers. A picture of a young couple in wedding attire was inside. Both bared similarities to Alisha. He sat the picture back in its place. "How could they leave their only child?" he questioned in thought. He, himself, a hopeless case in his father's eyes but his parents still cared about him nonetheless.

"Simon?" Alisha stood in the doorway. "I thought you were leaving," she said. "I am," he said, "but I want you to come with me."

**~Alisha~**

"Simon you don't have to do this," Alisha said, apprehension in her voice. "I want to," Simon replied. "Why?" she asked, "your parents could disown you just for asking them." He smiled, "well they won't go that far and besides I have reason for what I'm doing. You can't stay alone." She pulled the hood of her green jacket further over her forehead. She couldn't deny that he was right. She didn't want to live alone.

Clouds gathered in the sky as they reached Simon's home. Alisha crossed her arms as she entered the house. The light inside was dim. Simon reached out and flipped the light switch on. "Are your parents home?" she asked. He shrugged, "they should be…maybe they went to pick up my sister from school." Alisha glanced at a clock that was hanging on the wall, "At 12:15?" Simon shrugged, "do you mind waiting?" "You're the one who made me come in the first place," she scoffed.

Suddenly the back door opened, bringing in the scent of rain. Simon's father stepped inside. His eyes immediately went to Alisha, "What the hell are you doing here?" Simon's father gazed at him intently. "What are you doing?" He asked. Simon stood flustered in front of his father, "I...I." Alisha let out a sigh, "I was just leaving," she said.

Simon looked at her in beseechingly. She couldn't say she was surprised. He still wasn't ready to become the person he needed to be. Maybe one day he'll have the courage to stand up to his father but not today.

**~Superhoodie~**

I looked intently at the map the guard gave me. The highlighter that had marked my path abruptly stopped at the old building across the street. Harold Saxon. Of course I've heard the name a few times in passing as he was running for his position but I hadn't known he had won. Hopefully after I give him his money we can forget this ever happened because I don't want to kill someone in such a high position.

I got out of the car and tossed the map onto the passenger seat. I decided to put my mask on again. I just felt better covering my face in front of this guy.

The air smelled damp and musty inside. The sound of dripping from a leaking pipe quickly indicated why. I could hear grunting in the distance. It sounded like Seth! I slowed my pace to silence the sound of my footsteps.

Seth pulled at the knot binding his wrists. "Where is your friend?" His captor asked as he walked toward him. "He'll be here," Seth said. The man now stood over him, glaring down at him. "He better be," he says before punching Seth in the stomach. "I'm here." Seth looks at the doorway and sees Simon standing there.

**~Alisha~**

Alisha decided she was better off at community service doing something productive. Her headache had subsided in the last few hours and her persistent runny nose was more manageable. As she entered the community centre she immediately was approached by Kelly. "I thought you were sick," she said. "I'm better," she shrugged. "You should be home resting," Kelly sighed. "I'm fine," she said in exasperation, "just…what are we doing today?" "Benefit social, remember?" Kelly stated. Alisha nodded and walked into the locker room.

"Where's your boyfriend?" Nathan stood next to her locker with a smug smile on his face. "He's not my boyfriend," she said tightly. She really wasn't in the mood to take shit from him. She never was, but due to the morning's previous events, she was two steps away from giving him a slap. "Oh come on," he urged, "I know you're shagg'in that handsome shark." "Nathan!" Kelly stood in the doorway eyeing Nathan, "Leave her alone," she said. Nathan scoffed, but said nothing as he brushed passed Kelly to leave the room. "You've got to teach me how to do that," Alisha said. Kelly said nothing as she opened her locker and took out a brush. She took off her hair scrunchy, which looked excruciatingly tight, allowing her hair to fall pass her shoulders. It was one of the few times Alisha saw her with her hair down but as always the sight was short lived. Immediately after scraping her hair back the scrunchy resumed its normal position.

"I'm sorry you've been pulling more than your fair share of the weight around here lately," Alisha said in an apologetic tone. "You and Simon, you're alright. It's Nathan who should be apologizing," Kelly scoffed. Alisha smirked, "What was his excuse? He lives here." "He said he was at a bar all night and passed out." "Of course he did." Alisha put on her jumpsuit over her clothes and zipped it up.

**~Superhoodie~**

I inhaled sharply. So this is him. He has greying brown hair. We're both fairly short men; however, I'm slightly taller. Saxon looks at me and begins to slowly clap. "Well done-now give me what I want and I'll give you what you want." "Untie him first," I say. "Show me the money first." I reach for the money in my chest plate. "No don't!" Seth exclaimed." I stopped and looked at him. "He just wants to use my power." I quickly looked back at the Saxon, who promptly punched me in the stomach. Surprised, I went down hard. I rolled to my side as Saxon attempted to stomp on my chest. I kicked him square in the crouch, which sent him sprawling backwards. I got to my feet. Saxon immediately lunged at me and we both went down. Saxon ripped off my mask and he was on top of me, we were face-to-face, his hands were around my neck. "This could have been so easy for you," Saxon said. I grabbed at his hands, struggling to get away. "But just like all humans," Saxon continued, "you always have to screw everything up!" My vision began to dim and his voice echoed as I blacked out.

* * *

><p><em><strong>A.N.- <strong>_**Sorry I haven't uploaded in a while. I'm going to try to start updating more often.**

**This is titled chapter 'Kiss My Eyes & Lay Me To Sleep' after the lyrics in the song Prelude 12/21 by Afi.**


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 19

_"Boulevard of Broken Dreams part 1"_

**~Curtis~**

"What if they don't believe you?" Nikki asked. Curtis shook his head, "They will. After everything that's happened to us, they wouldn't think that this was a joke." Nikki nodded, though she still seemed skeptical, "Just meet me at the bar." Curtis nodded and opened the door of the community centre, as Nikki walked off. Once inside, he immediately saw Nathan and Kelly. Unfortunately he also saw the probation worker. "Well where the hell have you been?" "My gran died and I had to sort out funeral stuff," Curtis responded. Surprisingly his eyes softened, "well get to work." Curtis gazed after him disbelievingly as he walked off.

**~Alisha~**

Alisha dipped her mop back into the grey bucket of browning water and slapped the mop back onto the floor. The mop left streaks of brown on the white tiled floor she had just cleaned. She sighed. "Kelly?" Alisha called out. Kelly and Nathan stood across the room sorting through a box of old decorations the probation worker had told them to put up. Kelly looked up at the sound of her name. "Where can I dump this water?" Alisha asked. "Do it out front. You can use it to clean off the graffiti that some dickhead sprayed out there last night," Kelly shrugged then turned back to her task. Alisha leaned the mop against the wall and picked up the bucket. It was heavier that she thought it would be. She lugged it out the front door.

On the pavement she found scrawled neatly in black spray paint the word _'Erazer.'_ She rolled her eyes and dumped the water onto it. The paint smeared but the water left behind a perfectly legible _'zer'_ for the most part. She would have to go back in and get a brush out of the cupboard. She had only been working a little over an hour but she was already beginning to become tired. "Maybe I shouldn't have come in today," she thought but quickly dismissed the thought. She _had_ to come in today. She couldn't risk getting more community service.

Alisha went to the picnic tables and sat down. She didn't think it would be a problem if she took a small break. She folded her arms on the table and put her head down. She must've dozed off because she soon felt a tap on her shoulder. "Here we go," she thought as she lifted her head, expecting to see the probation worker. However, it was Simon.

Simon gazed down at her blankly. "You're supposed to be working," he said. She sighed as she sat up, "I know, I just got a little tired." "I told you, you should've stayed home," he replied. He sat down across from her at the table. "And I told you I am fine." "Sure you are," he responded with a roll of eyes. Alisha stared at him for a moment. "Simon!" she said in a stunned tone. He had never been rude to her before. He looked away, "Sorry." "Is everything alright?" Alisha asked him. His gaze clouded. "My dad says I can't live with him if I continue to help you." "Oh," Alisha said softly.

She smiled although she did feel hurt. Simon looked uncomfortable. His eyes darted away from hers whenever she tried to meet his gaze. "He just thinks you are-" "I know what he thinks and I'm not that person anymore." "Why not?" he cleared his throat, "I mean what made you change." She paused, trying to think of an answer, "Community service I suppose," she said after a moment, "It made me realize how people really saw me. It made me want to become a better person." "You're a smart girl. I'm just glad you finally realized you're not just beautiful." "You called me beautiful again," she said. "Well you are. Any guy would love to be with you," he replied. She looked away, then back, determination in her eyes, "Would you?"

Simon opened his mouth but found no sound would come out. He felt as if a brick had dropped into the pit of his stomach. The entrance door swung open and the rest of the group filed outside. "Alisha," Kelly called out as they walked over. Kelly stood over Alisha with a worrisome look in her eyes, "There's something you two need to know."

**~Seth~**

The harsh sound of fist meeting flesh echoed off the walls of the room. Seth twisted his wrists, pulling at the rope binding his wrists together. A little ways away Saxon continued to brutalize Simon, who was no longer moving. Seth wasn't even sure if he was still alive. Blood was pooling around his head. Seth felt part of the rope give between his fingers. He pulled his wrists apart and the rope between his hands splintered.

Without thinking Seth hurled himself at Saxon. Seth put his arm tightly around his neck. Saxon fell backwards onto him. Air rushed out of him, for a moment he couldn't breath. "You son of a bitch," Saxon mumbled as he kicked and struggled. Seth tightened his grip on him. He grunted as he felt the pain of teeth sinking into his arm. Seth writhed left and right and was able to roll over on top of Saxon. Seth released his strangle-hold on him, and pressed Saxon's face into the cement floor. Saxon squirmed but Seth held him firmly. "Now let me tell you how this is gonna work," Seth hissed into his ear, "If you or anybody else ever comes after me or anyone I know, I will find the means to kill you." "You can't kill the prime minister," he said with a laugh. "I can give anyone any power I want, who's to say I won't get one that'll make your death look like an accident." Saxon's gruff breathing continued but he said nothing.

Simon had regained consciousness. He raised his head but still seemed disoriented. "Now," Seth continued to Saxon, "my friend and I are going to walk out of here and no one is going to follow us." Seth stood up cautiously. Saxon remained on the floor. "Simon," Seth said, still staring at Saxon, "Simon," he quickly glanced at Simon then back at Saxon. Simon coughed, "I'm fine, I'm fine," he said. Seth heard him stand up. "Can you walk?" Seth asked. "Yeah I'm fine," Simon repeated, "My tooth, not so much." Seth nodded; his eyes still lay on Saxon, "Let's go." Seth backed out of the room with Simon at his side, all the while staring Saxon down.

**~Alisha~**

The group stood around the table, confusion about the face of everyone except Curtis. "I'm telling you the truth. How could you not believe me?" Curtis asked. Kelly sat on the picnic table. Alisha could see the doubtful look in her eyes, "It's not that we don't believe you," Kelly said, "I want to believe if something happened I would be able to remember it. A person can't be erased from your memory overnight." Kelly said.

Alisha shuddered, not just from the chilling breeze that brushed her cheeks, she felt that there was nothing more horrifying than something happening to her and not being able to recall it afterwards. Something such as forgetting someone in this case may seem to be a simple mistake, but what if this girl had been a threat? What if they were still having this conversation then? This girl could have been trying to kill them and with her face forgotten she could easily blend into a crowd.

Alisha shook her head, she was being ridiculous. "Simon?" Curtis looked at him curiously. He had been silent the entire time. "What do you think?" Curtis asked. All eyes turned to him. "I don't think the earthquake could be involved in erasing our memory. It did do that to Nathan, but that's only because he fell off the roof. Maybe it's someone's power?" Simon said, "Does Nikki have a power?" "I don't know, I never asked her," Curtis answered.

Nathan took out his phone as it began vibrating again. He looked at the caller and shoved the phone back into his pocket. "We need to make sure no one else gets erased from our memory," Alisha said. "Well what do you want us to do, stay together until we find whoever has this power?" Nathan asked. "Well what other choices are there?" Kelly asked, "Wherever we need to go, we go together. Which means I can't go home because my flat is already crowded with me and my mum." Simon looked at Alisha, and reluctantly she nodded. "My parents are out of town," Alisha spoke up, "We can stay at mine."

**~Superhoodie~**

Neither of us spoke until we were outside. "Well," Seth said, looking at me, "Thanks for trying to rescue me. Which is more than I can say for my cousin." "Adam's dead," I responded as I got into the driver's seat of the car and started it. Seth got into the passenger seat, "What happened?" "Saxon happened," I informed him, "One of his guys killed him while I was with Franky. His body is still at the garage lot." "Let it stay there so the cops won't think we were involved." I pulled away from the curb and began driving down the road "What about Saxon?" I asked. "What about him?" Seth mumbled, "If that asshole was smart he'd stay away from Wertham." I tightened my grip on the steering wheel, "No," I said, "We'll see him again."

* * *

><p><em><strong>A.N-<strong>_** So I was working on this chapter and it was starting to get pretty long so I decided to go ahead and poste the first part, but I have to go back to school soon so the second part will probably be up sometime in February.**

**This chapter is titled 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams' after the song by Green Day.**


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 20

_"Boulevard of Broken Dreams part 2"_

**~Simon~**

Simon sat in the hallway of the funeral home with the rest of the group waiting for Curtis, who was making funeral arrangements for his grandmother. Alisha and Kelly sat next to each other a few feet away from him whispering so softly he couldn't hear a word. If he hadn't seen their lips moving he would have no idea that they were talking. Nathan stood in a corner at the back of the room fiddling with his phone. Whatever he was looking at on his phone seemed to be upsetting him.

Simon stood up and went over to him. "Nathan?" Nathan looked up at him. His demeanor had changed sharply. He now looked annoyed, almost angry at Simon. "What do you want?" Nathan asked. Simon, taken aback by his reaction, felt his anxiety return. "I-I was just wondering were you okay?" Simon asked. Nathan's anger disappeared as quickly as it appeared, "It's nothing. Just leave me alone." Simon nodded. The door of the office opened. Curtis entered the room with an old man wearing a grey suit. They shook hands and Curtis went over to Kelly and Alisha. They chatted briefly before heading toward the exit in the room.

The sun was beginning to set on Wertham as they left the funeral home and entered the bar where Curtis had asked Nikki to meet them. Simon sat down on a bar stool. Behind the bar Andy stood drying a wet cup with a red and white checkered wash cloth. "I told you to piss off," he said looking at Nathan. "Pffff, as if I came here on my own," Nathan nodded at Curtis, "his new lady friend invited us here." Andy looked at Curtis, "what's he talking about?" Curtis rolled his eyes at Nathan, "Nikki invited us," Curtis explained to Andy. Andy grunted then went to tend to a customer.

The door opened and Nikki walked in. She was wearing her barmaid outfit. Her eyes met Curtis's immediately and she came over to him, but Andy intercepted her. "Nikki why don't you go ahead and take the night off?" Andy asked. "But Andy-" Nikki started but he shook his head. "I can't afford to lose anymore stock on account of this guy not paying." Andy's eyes darted to Nathan. Kelly, who had already sat down at the bar next to Alisha, glared at Nathan, "For fuck's sake."

**~Superhoodie~**

I turned on the lamp and sat down on my bed. "Here." Seth placed a first aid kit onto the bureau next to the door. I stood and went over to the mirror. My front tooth was chipped, but at least I still had it. A large bruise that was beginning to turn purple started at my left eye and worked its way down my jaw line and across my cheek. Seth leaned against the door frame as I examined my face in the mirror. I looked at his reflection. "It could be a lot worse," I shrugged. The simple movement made me wince, reminding me I had not yet taken off my suit to see what damage was there. "I'm not going in to work tomorrow," Seth said, "So rest up, you're my only body guard until I can replace Adam." He disappeared down the hall. I heard his bedroom door shut. I could tell he was upset, even though he didn't want to show it. I know how he feels.

I walked over to the bureau and opened the first aid kit. I looked over at my mask sitting on my bed. When I lost Alisha I didn't want to talk to anyone about it. I just worked to clean up the flat and when that was done, during my spare time I would work for Seth. He never asked for details on what I had been through nor how I felt. He's probably expecting the same thing from me now.

I took off my suit and patched myself up as best as I could then laid down on the bed. Rest for a day? I didn't want to lie around being useless all day. Seth is allowing me to live here rent free so I at least owe him that much. Seth no longer needed the money for ransom so tomorrow I would return it.

**~Alisha~**

As they walked to Alisha's flat sleeping arrangements were had already been decided. The girls would share Alisha's room, Curtis would take the couch, and Nathan and Simon would sleep on the floor. Nikki sat at the dining room table with Alisha and Kelly, fiddling with an old radio. "Honestly how old is that thing? Looks like it came out of the Stone Age," Nathan called out from the lounge. He sat on the couch next to Curtis somewhat watching the news. Alisha rolled her eyes at him, "That's my father's radio," she said tightly. Nathan shrugged and turned back to the television, "Didn't ask whose it was," he said nonchalantly.

Curtis shoved him, "Shut up man." He came over to the girls and sat down next to Nikki. "Let me see that," he said as he took the radio from Nikki, "my gran had one like this. It rarely worked." "Then why did she keep it?" Nikki asked. "It belonged to gramps," he explained, "He would buy old stuff that we didn't need at antique shops and stuff all the time. He swore that one day he was going to find something that would make us rich." "Did he ever find anything?" Kelly asked. Curtis shook his head, "the closest he ever came was a couple of old baseball cards that got him 80 quid." As he spoke the 'ON' light flickered on faintly then died again. Curtis scoffed, "Damn it." "It's okay if you don't get it working," Alisha consoled him. She didn't really care about the radio. It had been sitting in the kitchen collecting dust anyway, even when her parents were home.

She looked back at the couch. Nathan was gone. "Where did Nathan go?" she asked no one in particular. "He went outside," Kelly answered, "Alisha can I talk to you for a minute?" Kelly led Alisha to her room. After the door was shut she asked, "What are you going to do about Simon?" Alisha shrugged.

Kelly went over to the window. She could clearly see Simon standing outside, leaning on the railing. "What do you think I should do?" Alisha asked. Kelly smirked, "There are a lot of shit heads around here Alisha," she said boldly, "can't get any nicer than Simon." "I know," Alisha said. Kelly gave her a small shove, "well go talk to him." Alisha left the room and went to the front door. Simon turned around, cell phone in hand, as she shut the door behind her and walked over to him. "So have you spoken with your parents?" She asked. He shook his head. "I don't need to call them to know what they are going to say." "I don't want you to lose your family because of me. Just call them Simon," she said. "But I don't want to lose you either," he murmured. She looked down momentarily then back up again. "What I said before," she started hesitantly, "You never answered my question." She knew she didn't have to specify what question she was referring to. He already knew. Being interrupted by Kelly had saved him before but it looked like no one was going to intercept the conversation this time. He was on his own. "Simon," she said softly, "please answer me."

**~Simon~**

The reflection of the day's final moments of light glinted in his deep blue eyes as he stared into hers. His heart quickened to the point he could hear it pounding in his ears. "Simon?" Alisha repeated. Finally Simon made his decision, even with the dire consequences he knew would follow. His lips met hers. She stiffened with surprise then relaxed as he wrapped his arms around her.

**~Nathan~**

Nathan sat down on the staircase in the stairwell. Again his cell phone vibrated, but he made no motion to answer it until the caller gave up. He took out the phone. _"15 missed calls/1 new voice message"_ it read. He paused, his finger over the button. It was from his mother, he knew that without even looking. He wanted to delete the message without listening to it. She never listened to him, so why should he listen to what she had to say? She never took into consideration of how he would feel if she married Jeremy. It wasn't that he was a bad guy, he was just not good enough for his mum. If she couldn't see that, how could he even deal with the situation? His thumb rested on the button, poised to delete the message, but he couldn't bring himself to push it. She was his mother. She had stayed to raise him while his father had abandoned them. He did owe her for that.

He played the message. _"Nathan, honey...I know you're angry. If this is about your father I understand. I know Jeremy is not your father, but that doesn't make him a bad man. A good man is someone who cares about more than just himself. Someone who is willing to sacrifice himself for those he cares about, and someone who does not back down from what he knows is right, regardless of what challenges are thrown their way. I am not saying that you should think of your father as a bad man, but Nathan, Jeremy would do anything for me. He isn't like your father. He's not going to leave me with a four-year-old to take care of, while he drinks and sleeps with other women. He's the best man I've ever met. Like one I hope you become, a good man."_

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><p><strong><em>A.N- <em> Next chapter will probably be in late March or sometime in April. :)**

**This chapter is titled 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams' after the song by Green Day.**


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